If The Shoe Fits
by Fuscia
Summary: Felicity had grown up hearing them, the fairytales that always promised a happy ending for everyone. Yet,she never believed it was in her cards to be happy, she had never been dealt a good hand. Forces in the works want to change her perspective, though. Raise her from the ashes and give her a chance at a life inside a castle. She never expected that castle to be the Queen Mansion
1. The Fairy Godmother

**_The Fairy Godmother_**

_"There was no denying true love, as she stood before him, the glass slipper a perfect fit. The handsome prince yelped with happiness and beautiful Cinderella was taken into his arms and spun gleefully. Her whole life changed in that moment…with the kiss that took her breath away." _

She never managed the same amount of enthusiasm…never managed to make belief slip from her lips quite as effortlessly. It was because she lacked it. Fairytales were not real. People did not fall in love during a single slow dance, or because of a perfectly fitting shoe, or even a magical carpet ride. Fairy Godmothers did not magically appear to save the day. Mice didn't talk, genies didn't grant wishes, and not everybody got a happy ending. The world was a cruel place filled with horrid people, iniquitous situations, and fates that never seemed to want to cut you breaks. So why was society so determined to make believers out of them all? Why were girls taught to love Cinderella at such a young age? Why were these stories told? Why was reality-the real earth shattering truth-never portrayed?

Felicity's blue eyes lifted from the page of her large worn out book. She looked away from Cinderella's blissful smile and focused on the group of small children sitting on the floor before her. They were so mesmerized by what she was reading; shining breathtaking smiles that seemed so out of place in their current location. Addie always said that a child's charismatic smile could flip your whole world around; give you a whole new outlook on life. There were seven currently staring back at her, but Felicity felt no different about her life. Right now all she felt was guilt for reading them the lies she presently was. What were the chances that any one of them would find a happily-ever-after? As cruel as it was to admit…what were the chances of any of them ever knowing what love actually felt like?

She was twenty-two, healthy, and promised a long life…none of them had that. They were kids facing so much hardship that it often made her breath give out, but they always came back smiles ablaze. Day after day she sat here, opening her book, and letting them escape to a far off land that was so much better than their current reality. Places where magic did exist and miracles did indeed happen.

She was a hypocrite though. Spreading the belief she never found herself believing in. What these kids needed was Addie reading to them. Addie had always been such a bright light; captivating the room with her gregarious presence and charismatic personality. She never once came in contact with someone who didn't instantly fall in love with her. She never once came across someone whose life she didn't make the slightest bit better. It was in her character to be benevolent; it was in her character to treat life like a dream. Always living for the moment and never dwindling away the possibility that a miracle was only a shooting star away. That's what these kids needed. Not her. Not the one person who could hardly get through a story without feeling sick to the pit of her stomach. Felicity would give anything to be so in love with life, like Addie was.

The door to the hospital room creaked open just as the kids began to plead for another story, but time was against them. These kids had places to be-machines to be reconnected with, and the nurses who slowly strolled in with their best smiles, didn't waste a second in telling them that. They all offered her the same smile and each kid made a point to hug her goodbye-taking a promise with them for another ride to the enchanted forest tomorrow.

Felicity didn't say a word. She just hugged them back to the best of her ability and watched each kid and nurse file out of the room. Excited whispers about what they had heard traveled down the hall with them, only stopping when the last of the staff closed the door on her way in. Dr. Rebecca Merlyn was thoughtful, compassionate, and she never tried to sugarcoat the truth. After a year of being in the same orbit, she knew Felicity wasn't one to accept anything but solid facts. The reality was often harsh, too much for a single pair of shoulders to bear, but Felicity never shied away from it. She used it to build up her stamina; asking what the next step was and never letting it tear her down completely. She was living for two and was determined to keep at least some of Addie's personality out in the open.

Dr. Merlyn didn't approach the young blond girl. She had a reason for being here and that reason was Addie Smoak. Felicity watched her thoroughly examine her elderly patient, her lips quivering as Addie let out a struggled breath in her sleep; the pain so transparent across her wan expression. If fairytales were real, a magic wand would've been waved and everything would have been fine. Addie wouldn't be in the pain she was currently in. But, this was life, and life didn't have magical remedies. It only had the medicine that was sluggishly effective and the doctors that kept saying they were doing all they could.

Felicity slid closer to the bed, arms coming to rest on the homemade quilt covering Addie's frail body. She didn't let her gaze waver, even when Dr. Merlyn pulled up a chair beside her. There was a blue chart in her hands, but she never once opened it. Felicity knew she had no reason to. Dr. Merlyn probably had it all memorized by now, Felicity knew for a fact that she certainly did. Yet, the chart did open this time, and a small folded-up piece of paper was slid under her arm.

Her fingers trembled as she made a grab for it. Sitting upright, she looked at the Doctor curiously and a little bit frightened. She couldn't take any more bad news, she just couldn't.

"W-what is it?" Dr. Merlyn just nudged her to open it and Felicity did with shaking fingers. Her eyes scanned over the paper once, not sure what she was reading. When she read it through a second time…shock filled her body. "A job offer?" Felicity asked breathlessly.

The older lady nodded; a pleasant smile stretching across her beautiful face. "It's yours if you want it, Felicity."

"B-but, why?" Her eyes frantically moved from the paper to the doctor trying to find some clear-cut answer.

Dr. Merlyn let out a long sigh before reaching into the dreaded blue file once more. She pulled out a few more papers and a couple of x-rays. They were laid out infront of her and Felicity tried her hardest to figure out what they meant. "The new treatment…it's working, Felicity. No matter how slow the progress is, it's still progress."

Felicity let out a shaky breath she hadn't even realize she was holding this entire time. She felt light-headed as she took in the words she had longed to hear for months now. Something was working-something was finally working. A hand gripped her knee comfortingly and all she wanted to do was cry her eyes out. "I-I-I can't believe this. Really?"

Dr. Merlyn nodded happily, but the smile didn't stay plastered on her face for long. Felicity felt her heart constrict painfully once more. She admonished herself for forgetting. This was the real world, not a fairytale. "It's a new treatment, Felicity…a new expensive treatment." Dr. Merlyn pressed her lips together as she gave her a moment to let it all sink in. Felicity was smart, so very brilliant in so many areas, but she cared deeply and that often took over every other trait she possessed. Meaning she wouldn't think straight or let her mind make any rational decisions. Rebecca supposed she couldn't really blame the girl. Felicity had done a lot of growing up in a short amount of time and it wasn't as if she was sitting beside just some random stranger's beside. This was her loving, adoring grandmother…the only relative she had left.

"You're-you're on your last penny, honey…there's nothing left." Felicity spoke up in a robotic tone before looking directly at the doctor with dead eyes. "That's what you're getting at right?"

She nodded, hand squeezing her knee once more to urge her on. "Take the job, Felicity…right now it's your only option if we wanna keep this progression going."

Felicity was already shaking her head. "I'm still in college – I've never done something like this before." She waved the paper frantically in the air. "I don't know the first thing about being someone's _nanny_." The word sounded so wrong slipping from her lips.

"Trust me, that doesn't matter."

"How can you say that?" Felicity cried. "This-this Oliver Queen," she emphasized the name from the paper. "He must care a great deal, and from what I know about him…he's not short on hiring some highly professional-well qualified help."

"Well the well qualified and highly professional haven't exactly been working for him." Dr. Merlyn quipped. "What he needs is someone he can trust to look after his little girl when he's not around…and because of his job, that's more often than not."

"And that's me?" Felicity asked skeptically.

Rebecca Merlyn let out a huff and tried to relax her shoulders. She knew this was going to be difficult; she just wasn't prepared for how much. "What other option do you have?" She reasoned. "This job is what you need right now, Felicity. You can keep up with your night classes, still have time for Addie…and Meyrin, well, she might just shine the light you need right now. You've been drowning in darkness, sweetie…all you need is a break and this is that shot to get it."

Felicity took her bottom lip between her teeth as she studied the paper once more. It all seemed too good to be true and that scared her to no end. "Don't be fooled about what you walked in on earlier," she frantically added as a final defense. "That-that…daily thing with the story telling, it's a fluke-all a fluke. The way I am right now-the way I'm always feeling…I can't bring a kid down with me. Not one that's living a dream and has everything going for her-more happiness than what she knows to do with. I'll poison her…I'll poison her whole family."

With her pessimistic rambling, Felicity missed it completely, the dark shadow that flashed across Rebecca Merlyn's eyes. "Y-you won't," the Doctor recovered, quickly snapping Felicity out of her downfall. "This job, Felicity-this job is not just some professional recommendation. It's a personal one." She took a hold of one of Felicity's hands and gave it a firm squeeze. "This past year, I've come to know you as a beautiful, caring, loving individual...no matter how much you think otherwise. This offer isn't something I would hand out lightly-I put a lot of consideration into this."

Rebecca sat back and took a few seconds to remind herself that she was the doctor, that this wasn't her daughter sitting next to her…it was a patient, just a patient. Yet, as she watched the battle raging on behind Felicity's eyes, she caught herself blinking away a few tears.

This hospital, the one they were currently residing in, was a place where people received bad news all the time. The Glades of Starling City wasn't a place filled with wealth and magic…it was a place where people were just scraping by. Everyone told her it was crazy what she was doing…opening up a hospital way out here, but she hadn't listened. Everyone needed the best care, whether you had the money for it or not. Yet, some things were just out of her control. Ethics and morals surrounded the business aspect of things like ironed gates, and didn't let her help the way she truly wanted to. There were always the loop holes though and this job offer was the one Felicity just had to take.

"J-just promise me I won't regret this…that Oliver Queen and his daughter won't regret this…"

Rebecca's eyes lit up as she met Felicity's determined gaze. "No-no of course not," she answered firmly. "No regrets about anything…you'll see."

Felicity still wasn't so sure about that, but as she held Addie's hand firmly and hugged her old book close to her chest...for once all she hoped for was a miracle.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Oliver Queen wasn't happy. He wasn't even in the same galaxy as someone who was having a good day. Usually a visit from his Aunt Becca changed that-made everything better, but as she sat before him, telling him the truth about her day, his own day grew steadily worse. He fixed her with a hard gaze, pulse racing in anger as he stood from his seat. He couldn't believe what she had done, all without asking him for even a single once of input. He wanted nothing more than to yell at the top of his lungs, but one quick glimpse of the little girl playing quietly in the corner, reminded him to stay in control of his emotions.

"Ollie-honey, just listen to me…"

"W-w-why?" He barely managed through gritted teeth. "I have a process for this sort of thing. I don't take it lightly and I don't skimp on the details."

"Neither did I..."

"Painfully obvious from your hiring of a total stranger," he snapped sarcastically. She found that offensive and he could see the hurt flash across her face. He was so angry though that he couldn't even simmer any form of sympathy. "This wasn't your decision to make, Aunt Becca."

Her eyes suddenly flared, standing up to join him. "That is a load of crap, Oliver." He stepped back a little, her little form surprisingly menacing. "I've been coming around to help you take care of Meyrin since the beginning. You know how much I care about her, and her well-being. So for you to suggest that I would ever put her in harm's way…well, that's the biggest insult you could ever possibly throw at me."

"I didn't mean it as an insult," he grumbled, fists clenched at his sides. "We're talking about a woman coming to stay in my home. Being alone with my daughter for _hours_ at a time…and all I have to go on is a _name_?"

"And my word." Rebecca stated firmly. "Oliver, honey, I give you my word that this girl is exactly what you need for Meyrin." She put a soft hand on his arm and gently pulled him back to the couch. His eyes stayed focused on the little girl before them. Soft blond ringlets bounced against her shoulders and a little voice giggled tenderly as she poured some imaginary tea for her big brown teddy bear. "In the past six months alone, you've gotten rid of a dozen different nannies."

"Each for a reason," he snorted.

Rebecca rolled her eyes at his childish manner. "Oh right, lets recap." Oliver had a feeling he wasn't going to like this. "The Ardmore girl gave Meyrin too many sweets. The Smith girl didn't button her up properly when heading out-"

"—It was the middle of frigid January!"

"—Casey had ulterior motives…Gabby let her watch too much TV."

"-Oh yeah, let's keep the little girls' eyes glued to the television so I can have a few more minutes to talk to my boyfriend," he mocked rather annoyed. "You _know_ I was right to fire that one."

Rebecca let out a little growl and clamped her mouth shut for a few short moments as she studied the brooding male who was just like a son to her. She had watched him grow up, right along her own son Tommy, and she had never made to make a difference between them. They had always come as a packaged deal before fate messed with their lives, and Rebecca had always wanted nothing but the best for him. She was proud of the man he had become over the years. Proud of the responsibilities he had taken over without question. It wasn't easy for a man in his position, no matter how glamorous the media always made his life out to be. There were dragons and demons…he fought them all heroically.

"The underlining factor is you, Oliver." She pointed out easily. His mouth hung open in offence, but she just continued on. "I'm very comfortable in making that diagnosis-so I simply took you out of the equation. You've tried it your way for years…now try it my way."

She crossed her arms and stared him down. Practically begging him to disagree so she could just shoot him down once more.

"Ugh!" he growled. "At least tell me a bit more about her."

Rebecca let out a small breath and tried to picture the young blond girl she had spent all afternoon with. "She's a lot like you, Ollie. She's a girl who's been dealt a lot of hard decks and could just use a break…some stability in her life, and I really think this job can offer her that and more."

"So you're throwing me a charity case?" He asked slowly, brow furrowed.

He received a smack on the arm for that. "It's nothing like that," she argued. "It's just the best opportunity she's had in a long while; she needs this Oliver…now more than ever. I've told you everything about her grandmother…how can you turn away from lending out this offer, after that."

"I can't," he said shaking his head. "And your confidence is booming because you know that."

A lazy smile appeared on her lips as she took his words in. "No…I just know you." She sighed lovingly. "After everything our families have been through…have done, you never hesitate to spread a little light around."

"And you always have to perform some act of a miracle," Oliver sighed deeply, getting up from the couch once more. "You walk around acting like a fairy godmother more than a doctor, you know that right?" He called over his shoulder as he made to sit beside his daughter. He heard Aunt Becca let out a quite self-pleased chuckle.

"Oh, if only magical wands really did exist…imagine the good that could be done."

Oliver really wanted to add-on 'or the bad' but Aunt Becca seemed so happy about the battle she had just won, that he really couldn't taint her small victory. He heard her get up from her seat and head over to the kitchen to whip something up for dinner. She always insisted on cooking when she came over, which wasn't as often when she worked so many long hours at Glades Memorial. Meyrin loved having her around and she always brought life back into this big mansion that had been lacking it for so many years. There were times he had actually considered moving; getting a smaller place for his miniature family, but the memories always stopped him. Yeah there were about a thousand awful ones, lurking around the halls like ghosts, but each thousand came with that one good one that he couldn't ever part from.

"Daddy?" His eyes suddenly shifted, bringing him out of his thoughts and focusing on the most important person in his life. He met her eye for eye, those familiar eyes that always caused a slight lump to catch in his throat. They were curious now, the type of cute curiosity that only children processed. He urged her on with a soft poke to her cheek, causing her to let out a small giggle before continuing. "Daddy, what's a fairy godmother?"

He became slightly apprehensive about what exactly else her little ears had picked up, but he let it all fade into the background as he put on his dad voice. "Well…she's this magical person who makes all of Cinderella's dreams come true. Has a magical wand that gives her a beautiful dress and helps her meet a handsome prince."

Meyrin's eyes lit up like fireworks. She loved fairytales and the memory of one of her favorites sparked in her mind. "Just like in the movie!" she squealed.

"Yeah," Oliver agreed, kissing her forehead lovingly. "Just like in the movie, Rinny."

* * *

Oh God- this idea came out of nowhere and I just couldn't squash it. I haven't been this excited for a story idea in a while! I'm so obsessed with Olicity that no other pairing seemed more perfect. Completely AU obviously! Please review and stick with this story! I promise you won't be disappointed! Tall order I know ;)


	2. The Enchanted Castle

_**The Enchanted Castle**_

It was ironic really. All day long he had yearned for some peace and quiet; a moment to himself to get some work done in the comfort of his own home instead of at the office. He wanted to stay in his sweats, wanted the plush couch cushions pressed against his back, and not be at the beck and call of a thousand employees who always seemed to want some part of him. Meyrin didn't want him to have any of those things, all she wanted was his attention and she was determined to do everything in her power to get it. Yet, he was just as stubborn as she was. He hadn't given in either. Instead of reading through contracts and going over presentation details like he should have been, he was arguing with his three-year old. She didn't want him to just make her a sandwich…she wanted him to sit and eat with her. She didn't want him to just turn on Cinderella for the umpteenth time that week…she wanted to be snuggled up beside him on the couch, singing along, and watching together.

He convinced himself that he was far too busy, that all his stuff couldn't be put off until tomorrow. He had let her whine and cry. He had let her prance around in front of him, singing completely wrong lyrics at the top of her lungs, all while trying to stay focused and not lose his cool. He had lost it…a few times unfortunately. His phone was ringing off the hook. A new task thrown into his lap every time he answered it. He voice rose, a few octaves to high for his little girl to handle. After the third strike of being shot down, she didn't bother trying again to gain some attention; just left to go occupy herself in her playroom without a single sound seeping from her lips. It was when his own eyes began to shut that he noticed that the sun had gone down; that the large house was dark and eerily quiet.

Guilt set in when he found her, having fallen asleep on the floor of her playroom, among several of her stuff animals. He could tell she was seeking the comfort from them that she hadn't been able to get from him. He hated weeks like this. Hated when the job took over his life and pushed the more important aspects into the background. He always got so irritable; his patience becoming paper thin, but it was never her fault. Meyrin didn't ask for the single father who was the CEO of a billion dollar corporation. All she asked for was a father who didn't mind dancing around in their pajamas; singing off tune Disney songs until they were breathless from laughing at themselves. That's the father he wanted to be…that's the father he promised her mother he'd be.

Oliver closed his eyes tightly and took a relaxing breath before leaning down to pick up her small body limp with sleep. His gut clenched seeing her half eaten bowl of pasta, the one he had absentmindedly left beside her while one of the QC board members was yelling into his ear. He was going to hell for this.

He suddenly craved her company, suddenly had the urge to wake her so he could hear her sing and laugh, but she didn't deserve to suffer anymore on his account. So he settled for laying her beside him on his kingside bed, and took in the warmth spreading through him as she snuggled close to his side. He still had so much work left to do, work he would've had even if he had just spared her a few minutes of his time. He couldn't bring himself to get back to it though. For the next few hours until the Monday sun rose, he just wanted to be Oliver Queen. A normal twenty-four year old single father, who just wanted to spend a lazy Sunday with his loveable daughter. He honestly didn't think that was too much to ask.

Sighing contently against the plush pillows, Oliver opened up his laptop and plugged in his headphones. He had been a lousy father all day, but maybe he could make up for it by being a semi-decent brother.

It only took three rings for her to answer. It was already 2AM where she was, but Thea was nowhere near asleep, just like he knew she'd be. Her freckled face took up a majority of his laptop screen and a lazy smile played across her lips. She was happy he called.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Only my secret night-time affair with Leonardo DiCaprio."

"The titanic _again_?"

A soft chuckle escaped her lips and he watched her lay back against her own pillows. This was the only time he didn't feel a million miles away from her. These on camera conversations where it was just them, stripped of all public appearances, with nothing but their true selves on display. "It's for a class, Ollie. There are only so many times you can watch Jack freeze to death without wanting to fling yourself off a boat."

"I'm guessing, school's going good then?" he questioned with interest.

She shrugged nonchalantly like only Thea could. "School is school. My art history professor's a total douche, but he takes me to the Louvre every other day, so…it all balances out really." He shook his head at her complacent attitude and an easy grin spread across her face from having appeased him. "I meant to call earlier, but got so busy…the little monster asleep?" Oliver bit his lip sheepishly as he shifted the screen slightly so Thea could catch a glimpse of her niece. "Cuddled up in bed with you…whatcha do, Ollie?"

"Was a little less dad and more CEO today," he sighed heavily; hand reaching to softly smooth down her ringlets. "Already feeling super guilty so you can save the lecture."

"I wasn't going to say anything…"

"Course you weren't," he grumbled sarcastically. "Look," he breathed closing his eyes for a second. "I just need to feel like I actually know what's going on with the important people in my life…like I haven't totally neglected them, so, can you…just tell me about your day."

An excited grin spread across her face and she made herself even more comfortable to begin her long runoff ramble. Oliver didn't mind, not in the slightest, this is exactly what he wanted when he had called her. This, sitting here and talking to her, it didn't happen as often as it should. Neither one of them was to blame more than the other; it's just what their lives were like at the moment. He was still here in Starling City, in the home they grew up in. She was in France, studying at an art institute and taking field trips to the Louvre. A vast ocean separation and timetables that never quite matched up the way they wanted to. Yet, when they did finally get it right, and got to sit and talk like they were doing now, it all became okay somehow; the distance and everything. He saw a happy Thea. A Thea that had her old smile back and her old rambunctious way of talking…a Thea he had truly missed.

He was right to let her do this. He was right to let her catch a break from the hellish aura suddenly plaguing their life.

"How's Walter?" He yawned, taking advantage of one of her rare pauses.

"He's good," she replied with a smile. "Off to Russia or Japan…or wherever you sent him this time around."

Oliver grinned. "Hey," he countered. "He's the one that was so adamant about handling all the oversea stuff. I'm totally fine with being trapped in my corner office."

Thea rolled her eyes. "You need to get out more."

"Really," he sighed. "I feel like I'm not home enough." His eyes once again shifted to his daughter's peacefully sleeping figure. There was definitely going to be an ice-cream date in their very near future.

"So…when's nanny number ninety-nine starting? Or are we up to the hundreds now?"

"Ha Ha, you think you're so hilarious," he said, calling out her continuous mockery of the situation. "I haven't reached the double digits yet, and not that it's any of your business, but she'll be arriving sometime tomorrow."

"What she like?" Oliver just simply shrugged his shoulders. Her mouth fell opened as she stared at him incredulously. "Seriously? You're usually so thorough with your background checks that you even know the exact date they lost their first tooth." He narrowed his eyes at her, telling her straight-out that she needed to cut the jokes. "Ok-ok, I'm sorry, but what gives…oh god, you're not, like, sleeping with her or something are you?"

"Thea." He chided with an edge.

"Well, you can't blame me for being a little skeptical of your newfound trust policy."

"It's not newfound," he affirmed. "It's all Aunt Becca's doing, and I promised her we'd do it all her way this time around. I'm staying completely out of it, until… I see something I don't like." Thea fell silent, and he had a feeling she was searching for any hint of a bluff emitting from him. She wasn't going to find any though. He was honest about everything he had said. Though apprehensive about the whole situation, he wasn't going to give Aunt Becca any reason to doubt the trust he had in her. She said she always had Meyrin's best interest at heart and he believed that with every fiber of his body.

The siblings came to an unspoken agreement to drop the nanny subject, giving Thea full reign to start another one of her talking sprees. She was in the middle of telling him about the great idea she had for the final presentation in art history class when he noticed the first yawn. She tried to cover it up, a forced clear of her throat, before jumping right back into her description. He wasn't having it though. They both needed to sleep. "Bedtime, Speedy…we'll pick this up again tomorrow."

"What? No." She protested, moving closer to the screen. "God knows were horrible with repetition…just stay and talk some more."

"Thea…" he lightly prodded. "S' there something you wanna tell me?" Her lips pressed firmly together, her eyes then suddenly finding it hard to look directly into the camera. "You okay?" he asked carefully; trying to not spook her away from answering him truthfully. "You sleeping okay?"

"Y-yeah…of course," she answered evasively. "J-just a lot of studying on my part. I'll have you know, your little sister is dangerously close to becoming a straight-A student."

There wasn't a lot she could hide from him, an ocean apart or not. They had the same demons clawing at their insides; they had the same nightmares haunting their slumbers. When you went through what they had gone through, together…it was hard not to see right through the other's bravery charades. He was sure he saw her shutter from the chill of a horrible memory, and all he wanted to do was pull her through the screen and give a hug only a big brother was capable of giving, but he couldn't. He had to settle for just comforting words. "Hey," he coaxed lovingly-trying to get her to look at him again. "I'm just a phone call away, and just a few more weeks until the end of the semester, right? You'll be back home before you know it."

She nodded numbly before trying her best at a smile. "It's not just me, right? The nightmares…you still get them too, right?"

He wasn't going to lie, so he nodded in confirmation. "Every once in a while…"

"Must help having her to snuggle up to though…" Thea jerked her head in Meyrin's direction and Oliver couldn't help the flutter in his heart.

"Yeah…she definitely makes it all a bit easier." Taking a deep breath, Oliver turned back towards his sister with a stern expression. "I want you to listen to me, Thea. If it gets to be too much…if you need to talk..."

"You're never too busy to pick up your phone…I get it, big bro. I know."

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

She didn't know why her heart was racing or why her palms were sweating. Sure, she had the slight tendency to turn every social encounter into a large pile of awkwardness, but she had her professionalism down pact, and at the end of the day this was a job like any other job. It didn't matter that she was currently sitting in the colossal living room of the Queen Mansion – a room bigger than her and Addie's entire apartment. It didn't matter that this unbelievable place was not only going to be her office but her home as well for the entire unforeseeable future. It didn't even matter that two complete strangers were suddenly becoming her roommates. None of that mattered. All she needed to do was focus on doing her job right, keeping the kid alive, and making sure Addie continued to get her treatment. Once Addie was healthy and back on her feet…Felicity could go back to her life and forget she was ever a nanny for the Queen family.

All the self assurance wasn't keeping her nerves at bay though. She kept fidgeting on the expensive looking couch until she couldn't sit at all anymore. Her eyes kept darting around her surroundings, trying to take everything in. It was hard to imagine that a little girl was growing up here, was the very first thought to pop into her mind. It was hard to imagine that a _family_ lived here, period. Felicity didn't like passing judgments, but some thoughts were hard to keep in as she continued to look around. She could never dream of ever owning a house like this and never once expected her grandparents to ever move her to a place of this caliber. They had what they had and growing up she just learned to accept that. From the beginning it had been that small two-bedroom apartment. Constricted and outdated though it was, at least it felt like a home. It always had the smell of home backed goods wafting around and the look of something put to good use.

This house looked so pristine…so untouched.

For a while it was nothing but silence around her. She could hear her own footsteps and beating heart as if she had a speaker attached to her body. Was this how it was going to be day in and day out, this hushed? She was so used to the sounds of the inner city life; didn't know how to live without them. The car alarms going off at all times of the day, dogs barking, doors slamming, people screaming…she called that the soundtrack to her life. Not this…not this stillness.

Then she heard it, a sound that seemed so misplaced in this large manor with its paneled walls and dark colors.

Her feet moved on their own accord, following the beautiful sound that grew louder as she traveled deeper in. A set of double doors stood slightly ajar and she hesitated outside them just taking the sound in. Birds? Was it really birds she was hearing? Her gaze swept over her shoulder, trying to spot anyone who would stop her from being nosey and curious, but she was still alone in the large mansion. So she stepped closer still and finally pulled open both doors simultaneously. Her breath caught in her throat from the sight she was met with.

The room was actually quite small in size, but you'd never notice. The whole far wall of the square room was made entirely of glass…a glamorous view of the breathtaking back garden. The room was covered in greenery. So many different plants in various colors and smells were spread throughout. There was an elegant set of patio furniture setup in the corner, and in the center of the room was the sound that drew her in.

Felicity was completely awestruck as she ventured inside, eyes focused straight ahead. A large intrinsically designed birdcage of white metal was the center feature of the room, and inside were housed at least a dozen birds. They chirped delightfully, their songs filling her with happiness. Soft feathers of orange, white, and yellow ranged between them. Puffy small birds that bounced from perch to perch, communicating with each other in a language all their own; she just couldn't believe it and it was all right in front of her.

"They don't bite," a voice suddenly called over the pleasant noise.

Her hand flew to her heart and she jumped back from the cage to jerk her gaze around. Felicity felt her breath hitch in her throat as she finally caught sight of him, Oliver Queen. He was leisurely leaning against an open doorway in the back that she hadn't noticed at first. A surprisingly welcome smile played out across his face as he looked back at her; head quirked slightly to the side as if he was observing her like she was him. The first thing she noticed, and what she kept kicking herself repeatedly for, was how insanely attractive he was. He stood well over six-foot; well built arms crossed over his defined chest. He wore a simple light blue dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a tie loosely hanging around his neck. He must've just gotten home from the office a short while ago.

"The birds," he suddenly continued, nudging his head slightly in the cage's direction. "Wings are clipped and they're actually quite fond of being held and petted…take quite a liking to blonds actually."

She supposed responding in any shape or form was the proper thing to do, but for the life of her she couldn't make words happen. All she could do was stare at him and everything that was surrounding him. Then as if a tsunami sized wave had crashed into her, everything suddenly resonated. His sudden appearance was that profound. Packing up all her possessions, the sleek black car that came to pick her up, the long driveway that ended in a view straight off of a travel magazine spread, the whole mansion in general, this surprise room…him-her boss-her one hope to make everything right.

Felicity caught it, she didn't know how with her current state, but she caught the worry suddenly etched upon his face. Her whole body felt clammy and she literally felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her chest. Was this a panic attack?

"Are you okay?" he sounded frantic as he came to stand before her. When she still didn't respond, hands gripped her shoulders and she was led over to a chair and pushed down to take a seat. A glass of water seemed to appear out of thin air in front of her seconds later, and she had no choice but to grab it for a few sips. The cool liquid slid down her throat, and she suddenly felt like breathing was a little easier.

"Oh-god…" were the only words she managed as she caught sight of Oliver Queen's staggered expression. This is not how she wanted this to go.

"Wow," he breathed, swallowing hard. "I-uh...I've never had something like this happen before."

"Leaving a girl breathless, I highly doubt that…" Her hand suddenly flew to clamp her mouth, eyes widening at the realization that came a second too late. "No-oh god-that's not what it sounded like…I-uh…oh god…this isn't happening. The house, and you, and first day jitters…and I'm just a mess, and awkward –and I'm not really a blond…its dyed, so the birds probably won't really like me." If her panic attack had shaken him, her sudden ramble had floored him completely. His eyes were opened wide and she could see him struggling to figure out what exactly he had gotten himself into. "I am so sorry. This is just all so new…"

Her face fell into her hands and all she wanted was some type of black hole to swallow her up. What the hell had she gotten _herself_ into?

"Felicity Smoak…?" She looked up slowly, fear of an unknown fate creeping up inside of her. Then suddenly everything felt calm as she was met with not one, but two highly amused smiles. The little girl had appeared out of nowhere, suddenly held up in her father's arms. She wore a flowery dress and soft blond curls were let out to frame a heart shaped face. Her smile was so charismatic.

Felicity didn't realize, she wouldn't for a long time after this, just how right Addie had always been. That one smile really would change her whole life around.

"Oliver Queen," he politely introduced again. "And this is my daughter, Meyrin."

He lowered the both of them to the ground and gave his daughter a little push forward in her direction. Felicity automatically let her hand extend, trying her best to keep it steady. "I'm Felicity, your new nanny."

Meyrin turned away briefly, looking over her shoulder at her father, silently asking permission to shake the new person's hand. It was only after he nodded that her small hand reached into Felicity's. The small girl came alive, and all it took was Felicity letting out a smile. She bounced on her toes and tugged her hand to get her up from her chair. "I gots birds," she exclaimed excitedly. "They sing!"

Her energy wasn't something Felicity was used to, and she must have given off some signal of that, because Oliver Queen chuckled softly beside her. "If she's offering to show you the birds…it means she's taken an instant liking to you. For the time being, you've got nothing to worry about Miss. Smoak." He offered up in assurance. "We've got a soft spot for canaries around here."

* * *

Can't thank-you enough for the feedback on chapter 1. Like I said, super excited about this story. Things are just starting so you'll have more questions first than answers, but things will start to build and clear up as the story progresses. Again please review and leave any thoughts or concerns you may have!


	3. Alice

_**Alice**_

"_In my world, the books would be nothing but pictures."-Alice in Wonderland _

She hadn't grown up like most girls her age, not by a long shot. She was never into those princess tea parties where you dressed up in pink tutus. She had never thrown or even been invited to any of those mandatory slumber parties, where you learned how to wear makeup and discovered crushes for the first time. She didn't have an interest in the latest fashion trends or the new hot boy band…she didn't even have a clique to hang out at the mall with while maxing out daddy's credit card. None of those rights of passage, if you will, had ever crossed her mind as something valuable. They weren't experiences she ever felt hallow for missing out on. She had always been comfortable in her own skin. Always been comfortable being the girl with her nose stuck in a book; staying away from immersing herself in with the girls that acted like, well, _girls_.

It wasn't until now, as she watched Meyrin twirl around in a pink beaded tutu with a sparkly magic wand, that she felt almost…_cheated_. As if someone had physically stolen the best part of growing up as a little girl from her. Meyrin was having the time of her life. Her bright smile and her squeals of delight never diminished. Every second she seemed to find something new to amuse herself with; a new way to use her imagination and bring every thought to life. She had dolls that she danced around with, teddy bears to drink tea with, and the faithful nanny who had no choice but to act as her handmaiden – a must have for every princess.

Felicity's thoughts trailed to her old fairytale book back in her new bedroom and to the hundreds of books she had grown up reading. Once upon a time she thought that they were her rabbit hole leading her to a far off land, completely separate from her reality. Where she could be anyone or anything she wanted to be and nothing was impossible. That's exactly what Meyrin was doing now, but at the same time it couldn't be more different. They were sitting in a beautiful park, dozens and dozens of little kids running around, and the little Queen didn't shy away from approaching any of them. She was willing to pass back the ball every time one happened to fly past her. She called over other girls to check out her tutu or see if they wanted to be princesses too.

Felicity had been the exact opposite; coming to the park to just sit under the shade of a tree and finding a quiet place to read. She had seen this three-year-old girl be more social in just one week on the job, than she remembered herself being in the two decades spanning across her life.

Would it have killed her to make a few extra friends? Sit amongst a few girls her own age and talk about all the things that girls talked about? Would it have killed her to actually go out and experience the basic plot lines she read about in her various novels?

The sad truth was…it probably would have. All the unknowns that fiction had to offer would have scared her senseless.

Somewhere along the line, books had become nothing more than a source of facts for her. They stopped being her pumpkin carriage to a ball or magic carpet ride as she traveled across Agrabah. Simply put…she stopped being Alice who believed in wonderland.

"Lissy! Lissy! Look! Look!"

Felicity's blue eyes focused forward as Meyrin made a beeline for the bench she was currently perched on. She let her tablet fall to her lap and zeroed her attention onto the small pebble being forced upon her gaze. It was an ordinary black rock, one that an adult would kick to the side in an unbeknownst manner, but she was finding that what she deemed insignificant, little Meyrin held to high regard.

"Whatcha got there, Rin? Wow-that's a pretty cool rock."

"It's small."Her eyes sparkled with question, quickly darting to the larger rocks around the bench and back to the one in her hand.

"Yeah, well…some rocks are big like me and others are small like you."

"It's me?" She sounded highly confused.

Felicity blinked a few times quite dumbfounded. She guessed she never realized how literal kids actually took things. "No-no, the rock isn't _you_. Rocks just come in different sizes like people do. Different colors, and textures, and types…all depending on the different types of minerals they possess and how they form. Like the Halite rock – gosh those are pretty – made up of…"

Her voice suddenly faltered as she caught sight of Meyrin's puzzled gaze. The young girl was looking at her as if she had suddenly sprouted a second head right before her eyes. God, she really had to control her rambling around these Queens. "You have _absolutely_ no idea what I'm talking about...do you?" Her hand reached up to softly pinch Meyrin's cheek, causing the young girl to giggle. "You've got a very pretty rock there, Rin."

"I gots it for you, Lissy. Pretty rock-pretty rock for you."

"Uh-oh, wow," she staggered as the pebble was slipped into her palm excitedly. "Gosh, Rin…that's so thoughtful of you."

"Yes, yes…you gets rock and I gets ice cream. Let's go, let's go!" She was suddenly urging, pulling on her nanny's wrist to get some movement going.

A second ago Felicity felt rather touched and startled by Meyrin's sudden sweet voice and gesture, now a second later… she was feeling quite duped –painstakingly foolish. One day never made a difference in the entire span of things. "Ice cream? Na-na-no."

"Please, Lissy?"

Felicity shook her head and turned to pull a sandwich bag filled with apple slices out of a lunch box she had brought along to their outing. Meyrin couldn't be more appalled. She was shaking her blond head frantically and tried to shove the bag away from her face. "Yuck!"

"It's not yuck," Felicity frowned. She opened her mouth to shoot out a few facts about the nutritional benefits of an apple a day, but luckily remembered who she was speaking with this time around. "Take it or leave it, Rin. Ice cream is a sweet treat after dinner. Not a mid afternoon snack."

"But-but…" She suddenly twirled on her heels, taking a second to spot something in the distance before pointing out its general direction with her short arm. "Ice cream! Ice cream!"

Felicity followed her pointer finger, and there it was indeed, an ice cream truck out in the open. Spring was in full bloom around Starling City and the weather was getting warmer just as the days were getting longer. It wasn't exactly the ice cream truck being out that caught her off guard for a minute there…it was the realization of just how quickly the year was finishing up. Time was just moving so fast.

It was hard to imagine that her first full week as Meyrin's nanny was already coming to a close. It was like she was tossed a pair of keys to a car whose accelerator was stuck on running, and told to just keep driving it. She had hardly caught her breath and was forced to learn everything in a very hands on-from experience sort of way. Meyrin's daily schedule, her likes and dislikes…they were so hard to keep track of. Then add in her utter inexperience with children, her overall awkward people skills, the highly exerted pressure of making this all work, and just being totally out of her element…

…It was no surprise at all that when they reached the car waiting for them at the park's entrance fifteen minutes later, she was holding the hand of a little girl whose face was covered in tear stains _and_ chocolate ice cream.

Felicity was in way over her fake-blond head, and completely wrapped around Meyrin's finger.

She knew it, the dozens of people who had just witnessed her extreme tantrum knew it, and John Diggle – who took one look at Meyrin's messy face and broke out in a teasing grin – knew it too. He didn't waste a second in looking smug about it either. Felicity ignored him. She took her time buckling Meyrin into her booster seat; the quite self-satisfied girl was kicking around her legs in happiness and most likely the aftershocks of a sugar jolt. When she was secure, Felicity let herself fall back against the black leather seats and close her eyes to the cruel, cruel world she lived in. A soft chuckle caused her to flutter them open and a prominent scowl to stretch upon her face. The same scowl she looked up with to catch Diggle's gleaming eye through the rearview mirror.

"You'll refrain from making any sort of comment if you know what's good for you."

"Whatever you say, Miss. Smoak." He gave her a subtle wink before getting back to his job…pulling out of the park and driving them back home.

Felicity groaned internally as she watched Starling City pass her by. After a week filled with mishaps and sorting herself out…she just wanted one good day to let her know that she hadn't made the biggest mistake of her life. She had fooled herself in thinking this was going to be easy. That first night at the manor had been a peaceful one. She was mostly left alone to get accustomed to the place and set up her belongings in her brand new room. That within itself had been a big adjustment. She didn't know why, but she certainly hadn't expected to be offered one of the lavish guest rooms to claim as her own. It was so opened with its expansive windows and high ceilings. The mattress on her bed was fit for a queen – literally, and the pillows made her feel like she was sleeping on a large cumulus cloud every night.

She had watched from afar as Oliver Queen put his daughter to bed, the little girl not making even the slightest bit of a fuss. Then her father spent just a few minutes explaining a wide range of things to her before his phone started to ring repeatedly...him retreating to his bedroom to answer it. Those few short minutes were pretty much all the contact she had with Oliver Queen this entire week. He had already left for the office when she woke up every morning to the sound of Meyrin thumping at her door, and they shared a quick 'hello', 'everything went well today', 'there's dinner in the kitchen', before he was scooping up his daughter and she was heading out for her classes at Starling Community.

Nights played tricks on you, she discovered, because the angel of a daughter that Oliver Queen got to put to bed every night was _not_ the one she dealt with all morning.

"Oh the joys of a sugar high," Diggle suddenly spoke. "All good until you crash in an instant." Felicity groaned, loudly this time, as she turned to see Meyrin knocked out cold in her seat. "You okay?" was his elicited response.

No-she wasn't at all okay. From the sudden spark of sympathy she caught flashing across his eye, Felicity knew the sad truth even before she felt the tears streaming down her face. She had thought that this job was supposed to make her life easier, that she would suddenly have less to worry about, but it was the exact opposite. She used to spend her days answering want ads, crunching numbers, and trying her best to keep it together for the hours she was in the hospital talking to Addie. Now, she was exhausting herself during the day by dealing with a temperamental toddler, still trying to keep herself together for Addie, and exhausting herself at night with her studying. Nothing about her life was fair.

"No," she confessed through her tears. "Just wanna find myself a rabbit hole."

She was sounding madder than the Mad Hatter.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Diggle offered to help carry Meyrin in, but Felicity claimed she was fine…even throwing in a lame joke about a cardio workout for good measure. It lacked humor, but so did she on most days. Surprisingly, Meyrin stayed asleep despite all her jostled steps, and Felicity made a selfish decision to leave the grooming for when the girl woke from her nap. She was beyond looking forward to some unexpected day time to herself; hopefully it'd be at least an hour. She had heard that kids like to take long naps, but with her extraordinary luck, she got to nanny the one child who never ran out of juice. This week alone must have at least _qualified_ her for a noble peace prize. All her restraint to keep a peace of mind was beyond a noble gesture.

_God, she looked like a soft-harmless bunny…_

Meyrin suddenly stirred. Felicity chose to flee…straight out of the room and shutting the door firmly in her wake. Nothing was taking this me-time away from her…even if she had to bolt down the pretty-pink room's door. Did that qualify as child abuse? Probably no more than sending a child to bed with nothing more than a giant chocolate ice cream cone in their belly…not to mention that said treat was still smeared all over her face.

She pictured the comfy bed she had to climb into all through her walk down the long corridor to her bedroom. The idea for a nap was like a beautiful dream she never wanted to be woken from – the actual definition of the word nap not really being cared for. Unfortunately, she was met with a sight more reflective of a nightmare. Her whole nightly study regime was strewed all across her new dream bed. She had completely forgotten that this is what she had woken up to this very morning. Somewhere between memorizing program codes and a bunch of other software jargon, her eyes had shut. Only to be jolted awake by Meyrin screaming _'park day-park day'_ at the top of her lungs…the fists at her door even louder.

From the looks of it, there was no time for a nap. There were still assignments before tonight's class yet to be finished.

So she squared her shoulders and went on doing the one thing she was actually good at…being a studious student…

…Only to have a repeat of the night before; eyes suddenly growing heavy and head falling on top of a thick text-book.

It was the wrong thing to do. It was the irresponsible thing to do. It was the first no-no they probably taught you in Nanny 101. But, she hadn't gone to any Nanny 101 classes…so she had no way of knowing what damage a kid could manage as their nanny took a well deserved nap. Why hadn't anyone offered her a guide book? She swore she had only shut her eyes a nanosecond before…

Her mind slowly registered a soft humming. Then the unmistakable sound of a pen against paper, a sound permanently embedded into her brain from long nights spent alone in an empty-locked up library –she had her connections. Then finally, her new nickname being sung by a very familiar voice.

"Lissy, Lissy. Wakey-wakey! We gots coloring to do!"

Coloring?

Her eyes slowly fluttered open and by the time she adjusted her glasses and sat up straight…it was too late. Way too late for everything.

"NO!" Her body lunged forward; hands ripping a book and highlighters quite ruthlessly out of her gummy little ones. "HOW COULD YOU, MEYRIN?!"

Her tone was like a hot-iron striking the toddler with force, but Felicity didn't have an ounce of sympathy to give. All her hard work, nights of giving up the few hours of sleep she barely managed in the first place, tired eyes, cramping hands, mental exhaustion—it was all destroyed at the hands of a little ball of terror in a few seconds flat. Different colored pens and highlighters covered pages and pages of notes and text – making it hardly possible to decipher her already scribbled writing. There were smiley faces, and stars, and figures of people – nothing that had anything to do with her programming course.

Her mind registered the wailing cries, her eyes registered the fountain of tears and quivering lips…her heart didn't register any of it. She rose from the bed like a zombie…lifelessly gathering her things and proceeding to put them away. She felt numb, numb to every human feeling her body was supposed to express upon seeing a child desperately seeking comfort. Yet, she didn't see it. She didn't see the pain or the sorrow…all she saw was the damn ice cream still mocking her failures. So without a word, she picked up the crying child and carried her unceremoniously to the bathroom. Plopped her down onto the counter and proceeded to clean up the only thing about her life that she was able to fix at that moment.

No matter what Dr. Rebecca's updates said, she still didn't feel like she was fixing Addie's cancer. No matter what her professors said, she still felt like she was failing in school. And now, Meyrin's tears said it all…she was failing at yet another aspect of her life.

Meyrin didn't waste a second in running away after she was put back onto the floor. Felicity didn't have the strength to go after her right away. She literally just sat on the bathroom floor with her back against the tub…counting all her shortcomings repeatedly in her head. It was fifteen minutes later that she made to get up, still feeling as hallow as a log. There was only one place Meyrin would be, and that was her playroom. The large room that was her escape from everything …her own rabbit hole of sorts. The room she could disappear into and make anything happen just the way she wanted it to happen.

Felicity subconsciously decided to make it her own rabbit hole too.

So she traveled down to the kitchen, took her time making dinner, and brought some back upstairs for her and Meyrin to share. She set it up on Meyrin's tea party table, pulling up the little chairs for her stuffed friends like the little girl always did. It wasn't until she was halfway through her meal that Meyrin gave up her own stubbornness to join her nanny. They ate in complete silence. No fusses, no messes…and definitely no fun that a tea party was supposed to come with. The adventurous girl from the park with the playful eyes was nowhere to be seen. Just a miniature person completely subdued.

Guilt ate at Felicity's insides. Who was she to take wonderland away from a little girl so filled with imagination?

Meyrin didn't seek her comfort or her company. The little girl went back to her playing and Felicity trudged back to her room to get ready for her final class of the week. Then at six-thirty when Oliver Queen's voice rang up from the foyer, Felicity let out her first breath of the evening. From the delighted squeals traveling up, she knew Meyrin was already wrapped up in her father's arms, telling him all about her adventurous day. This is when Felicity usually forced on a smile; pushing all her tension, exhaustion, and apprehension of the day down until the short two-second conversation with Mr. Queen was over.

Today, there was just too much of it to push down or cover up with a smile.

So she did nothing to hide how the day had actually left her.

A bag slung over her shoulder, body covered in a comfortable tee and jeans, Felicity walked into the foyer with her head hung low. Oliver had Meyrin completely wrapped up in is arms, tickling every part of her small body he knew made her giggle uncontrollably.

"Hey!" He called out mid-laugh, just as her hand reached the large brass door knob. "Everything go okay?"

She shouldn't have turned around. She should have just kept walking and given the same robotic answers she had been giving him all week; tossed over her shoulder with minimal eye contact.

Yet, she turned around. For some reason she turned around to face him. His face suddenly screwed up in concern didn't surprise her. Again, she wasn't even remotely trying to hide her displeasure. It looked like he wanted to say something, but she didn't give him the chance. Her shoulders gave a heavy shrug, eyes glazing over in a haze of fatigue. "Just another day at the office, Mr. Queen. It is what it is, I s'pose."

Then she was slipping out, his eyes boring her into her back, until the heavy door shut firmly behind her.

* * *

A little look into Felicity - Next will be a chapter sorta following Oliver's day. The next chapter is also the final chapter I have already fully written out...so the updates after that will be separated by a few more days. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I liked writing it. Please Review and be patient for Olicity interaction! Its coming I promise. Thank-you again for feedback and keep it coming, please :)

PS - anything Disney related is obviously not mine DISCLAIMER!


	4. Wise Words of Jiminy Cricket

_**Wise Words of Jiminy Cricket **_

"Pancakes?"

She was standing right before him. A plate stacked high with breakfast the only thing creating distance between them. He saw her lips move to form the one word question, but it wasn't her voice that he was suddenly hearing…it was his own.

"_Pancakes?"_

_ He remembered the reluctance in his tone with such clarity that the question could've been rolling off his tongue just moments before. The whole scene was still so fresh in his mind, like it was permanently chiseled into his brain with a knife. He remembered plopping himself onto the island; watching her slowly walk his way until she was standing between his legs. In the crook of her arm was a large mixing bowl, held securely as the whisk in her other hand stirred the contents efficiently; the smell of the batter for their midnight snack taking over his senses. He still remembered how beautiful she looked in her pale-pink silk nightie…simply glowing with the small bump of her pregnant belly just barely visible. She hadn't looked at him once since he had wandered into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes and then staring at her as if she was crazy. He remembered the grin that slowly stretched across her lips when she finally did lift her gaze to meet his. With that grin she let him know that she was fully aware of just how crazy she was, but more importantly, that she was totally content with that realization. Their unborn daughter was getting what she wanted…and at half-past-one in the morning, whoever she was…wanted chocolate chip pancakes._

_Then her fingers were dipping into the batter, pulling out a chocolate chip and heading for her mouth. Her nose suddenly scrunched up in a teasing way, and at the last second, her batter covered finger hovered before his lips. He parted them just enough for her fingertip to glide in, sweet chocolate melting against his tongue. His eyes never wavered – their gazes locked upon each other. His hand reached to hold onto hers-not letting it leave the vicinity of his mouth until every finger was kissed. He remembered the soft breath she took in. He remembered slowly freeing her of the bowl—being able to take both her hands and kissing her palms softly one at a time. He let them fall onto his shoulders—his going for the one connection they'd always have from now until the end of time. He remembered how she shivered from his gentle touch. _

_But, it was what happened next that he could never ever forget…the moment when her small hands clenched the soft material of his grey tee; her stretching up onto her tiptoes, and the affectionate kiss placed upon his lips…so much different than the many that came before. He remembered his heart never beating so fast; his mind never growing so hazy. Yet, one thought was clear as glass. That was the moment his life changed forever…that was the moment he fell in love for the first time…that was the moment he fell in love with Sara Lance. _

He was far away now, but still somehow standing in the very same kitchen. He had trained himself not to think about her, trained himself against her memory pulling him down, but once in a while the memory was just too strong or Meyrin's resemblance was too overwhelming. It was then that memories from years ago felt like they were made only yesterday. His eyes clenched tightly shut, hands gripping something hard that he couldn't exactly remember holding. All he could see was the rest of that night playing out; the pancakes that never got made but the batter that was playfully thrown around everywhere. He saw the two of them sitting with their backs against the island, completely covered in batter, and a small bag of chocolate chips being shared between them. He didn't say the three words aloud that night, he wouldn't for some time, but from the way she looked at him…from the way she kissed him, she didn't need him to. She knew exactly the way he felt and he knew she felt exactly the same way.

It wasn't until a soft hand gripped his shoulder that he released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. His knuckles were white from the steel grip he was exerting on his coffee mug. He startled himself, but it appeared not as much as he startled Felicity Smoak. Meyrin's current nanny was just staring at him nervously; uneasily chewing on her bottom lip and barely keeping the plate in her hands from shaking. He felt guilty all the sudden for letting her see him this way and turned away as quickly as possible. He left Felicity still holding onto the breakfast she was offering and left Carly to leave an apology on his behalf. He needed a second to himself.

Oliver picked the wrong room. As soon as he entered and the sweet songs of the canaries reached his ears, there wasn't much he could do to keep himself from falling apart. So he just took a seat on the ground and tried his hardest to remember where and when he exactly was. Sara was gone, for years now, and she wasn't coming back. He was doing this alone and as far as he was concerned, he was doing a damn good job considering his life over the last few years. It was the best anyone could expect from him…it was the best anyone should expect of him.

The clicking of heels gave her away. He had gotten so accustomed to that sound against the shiny floors of his office. He didn't look up though. Not even when Carly was standing directly before him.

"You okay?" He nodded his head softly; eyes never wavering from the chirping birds before him. "You sure?" She questioned sympathetically. "Because you had _that_ look…"

_That _look. She meant the Sara look.

Oliver finally looked up to meet her concerned eyes. She always worried about him when he got like this. "Yeah, really." He answered as honestly as he could. "J-just give me a minute. Then we'll get going, okay?"

She nodded her head in understanding, but still stood firmly in her place for a few moments to look at him skeptically. Her mouth even opened a few times, probably a suggestion for him to take the day off, but he plastered a smile on his face to stop her. When these memories and feelings took over, it was best to just stay busy, not stay cooped up in the house that was filled with memories of her. She seemed to get the hint and took her leave. Oliver waited until the sound of her heels subsided before rising from the floor. He walked slowly over to the birds and just let their sounds evade his mind. There were twelve birds in this large cage. One for every month Sara spent in pregnancy and one for each of the three years since Meyrin's birth.

The canaries had been a present for Sara, to let her know that everything was going to be okay and make her feel welcomed in this house when she felt so unwelcomed everywhere else. Now, they were for Meyrin. For his daughter to have a connection with the wonderful woman she would never know. He had her…it was only fit that Meyrin had something too.

Taking a few more breaths, Oliver checked all the food and water before feeling like he was okay to head back out. This wasn't how he planned on starting his morning. Of course, he hadn't planned on Felicity Smoak offering him pancakes either.

Carly was standing in the living room waiting for him; his coat and briefcase resting on the couch next to her. She was still studying him, and he could feel her eyes on him the whole time as he made his way to where his daughter was playing with her son. AJ was five-years-old and Oliver had become quite accustomed to having him around over the years, especially since he had offered Carly the job as his Executive Assistant. It had started off as personal favor to Diggle, but despite what anyone said or gossiped about, Oliver was well aware that there was no one he trusted more with his day-to-day activities. They had a lot in common, him and Carly, he relied on her more than he probably ever gave her credit for.

"Okay, you little monster, Daddy's gotta go. You gonna be good?"

Meyrin perked up instantly. She let her crayons drop to the ground and jumped into his arms to give him a hug. "Loves you, Daddy. I be good. I be good."

"Promise?" he asked, his eyes narrowing just slightly. They had a rather meaningful chat this past weekend.

"Yup-yup…AJ stay?" she asked pleadingly. "Please, Daddy? Please?"

"Well…" His eyes traveled over to Carly who was just shrugging her shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "You okay with this?"

"Yeah," she agreed easily with a nod of her head. "I was gonna have John pick him up from the office, but I'm sure he'd be fine picking him up from here."

Meyrin was already getting excited, but they still had one person left to ask before any official plans were established. Then her voice came out of nowhere, like she had been reading his mind. "I don't mind at all. I'd be happy to watch them both…it's no trouble." Oliver was hesitant in turning around. A little nervous about facing the girl he had to some extent freaked out on earlier. Of course it was nowhere near as wacky as their first encounter last week. When he finally did turn around, she wasn't even facing him. She was targeting her voice towards Carly. "They look to be having a good time, so why ruin the fun for them?"

"If you're sure you can handle both…I mean, AJ's a good kid. Keeps to himself mostly." Carly explained reassuringly. "He probably won't give you much trouble."

"I'm sure we'll get along great then."

There was a genuine smile on her face. A reassuring smile to let the mother know her child was in good hands. It was also a smile Oliver hadn't seen much of since she started working here. The two girls chatted some more, and the whole time Oliver found himself observing the new girl that just came into his life. She was different. She was vastly different than all the other nannies that had walked through this mansion's doors. Everything from the way she dressed to the way she acted around him during their brief encounters, varied from the norms he had come to expect when hiring another caregiver for Meyrin.

"Okay, it's settled then," Carly exclaimed, clapping her hands together once. "We ready to go, boss?"

Oliver broke out of his train of thought and just about caught the troubled look that flashed across Felicity's eyes as their gazes met. He had a feeling he'd been caught staring, so before things could get even slightly more awkward, he turned to give Meyrin one final kiss and headed out the door.

Carly was right behind him a few seconds later as he led the way to one of his cars that was parked out front. They got in quietly and he proceeded to check out the mirrors as she got settled into the passenger seat. "So, he needed the morning off because…?" She asked, leaving the blank for him to fill.

"You mean, Dig?" Carly nodded after a roll of her eyes –apparently the subject of the question was obviously implied. "Something about a doctor's appointment or another…"

"And you believed him?"

There was an edge to her voice that caught Oliver off guard. "Uh-yeah…was I not supposed to?"

Carly just huffed as she clicked in her seatbelt a little more furiously than need be. "Oh there's no doctor's appointment, Mr. Queen, I bet you that. He's just gone off to be _Johnny_ for the morning."

The nickname rolled off her tongue like it was poisoned and her fed-up tone suddenly resonated with him. There was only one thing that caused Carly Diggle to act this way…or one person more precisely. "I take it that Lyla's back in town?" She must've taken it as a rhetorical question because she refused to answer. Oliver just mentally shot himself in the head with a gun. For the last several weeks he'd been under the impression that everything between two of his closest friends was finally off in the right direction, he'd been a fool. Why would life want him to live peacefully? That would be just too simple and just too giving.

He hated being stuck in the middle. So he decided right then and there that he wasn't going to involve himself. These two were going to figure out their shit and they were going to do it without him. He had enough on his plate as it was.

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

His morning flew by without him ever becoming aware of the time. There was meeting after meeting. He seemed to be needed in at least twenty different places at once and he found himself getting aggravated with more people than he normally would. He wouldn't admit it, but it was because his brain still hadn't settled from its pancake ordeal this morning. It wasn't like he never had pancakes following Sara's death, he loved them, Meyrin loved them…and it's what most of their Saturday mornings consisted of. So why had he made such a big deal about it this morning? The memory had hit him like a hot iron and it's after effects were still burning through his brain. He couldn't' shake Sara from his mind for more than a few seconds.

He could tell Carly was worried. Even though she was having her own inner battles, she kept glancing his way through the glass wall separating their offices, or from the back of the conference room where she always sat taking notes. He didn't want to talk about it though, and refused to fuel any of her attempts to start a conversation when they found a rare moment of peace away from board members and investors. He even refused her offer to go off for a bit to grab a bite to eat. He let her go…and then waited a whole twenty minutes before grabbing his car and heading out himself.

The place he picked wasn't the most practical if he wanted to hide from the people he really wanted to hide from, but he was in desperate need for some comfort food, and this was the place to get it. He was seated for only a second before Edna, the main waitress, came to take his order. She and her husband Rob had started this burger joint years ago, and Oliver would be lying to himself if he didn't proclaim it as the best burger he ever had.

"Took my best waitress, Mr. Queen…slow service since then." It was an ongoing joke between the workers here and him. This had been Carly's job before he'd hired her.

Oliver gave the elder lady a charming smile. "Can't say I'm sorry, Edna. Have a fresh coffee waiting for me every morning."

"Oh the joys of having a personal assistant," she sighed dramatically. "Rob makes the worst coffee…gotten breakfast in bed maybe twice in the forty years we've been married."

Oliver laughed. "What's breakfast in bed compared to forty years of companionship, huh?"

Edna let the question roll around in her head for a minute before a vibrant smile crossed her lips. "You make a fair point, Mr. Queen...hope you the best in knowing what it feels like yourself one day."

He swallowed hard and tried not to let his face give away the kind of day he was having. This was not the time for a question like this. "Oh –you know me, Edna…just enjoying my life."

"Well, all the best to ya, Mr. Queen…now what'll it be? The usual?" Oliver nodded and she wrote it down without really even needing too. He was a regular here, and Rob and Edna treated their regulars right. "I guess…I'll make that two regulars."

Oliver followed her sudden trail of sight and rolled his eyes when a tall well-built man came through the door. He had a large smile on his face and kissed Edna lovingly on the cheek before sliding in across from him. Oliver should've expected this. Despite whatever may be going on between the two of them, Carly and Dig never hesitated to put down their arms to tag-team in making sure he was okay. He'd bet a hundred bucks that Carly had sent him here and that he was already all filled in about his dramatic morning. He chose not to play into Dig's hand though, and turned to face out the window as Dig continued to teasingly flirt with the bashful old lady.

Back when he and Thea had been growing up in the mansion, it was a totally different lifestyle to how he was now raising Meyrin. His parents had a whole workforce around to make sure the large house was running smoothly because, more time than none, they weren't present enough to look after it themselves. There was always the office to get to bright and early. There was always some lunch with a client and his wife, followed by a dinner gala that lasted well into the hours leading to dawn. Then you had the offshore business meetings and vacations to some far off place to reconnect. The two Queen siblings had a whole entourage at their beck and call. Cooks, maids, lawyers…He never had an ounce of responsibility to carry out. His life consisted of parties, alcohol, girls, and just living for the moment.

With Meyrin and Sara coming into his life and everything to do with his parents leaving it…he had changed the way the house functioned. He didn't want Meyrin growing up the way he did, he didn't want more people entering her life than absolutely necessary. He wanted to be present and wanted her to grow up as a good kid. So, not only did he take up his business responsibilities with full force, he became a pretty domesticated Dad. He did the dishes, the laundry, even learned how to cook. His Mom would've had a heart attack if she saw what he spent his weekends doing now.

Diggle had been hired as a driver/ personal body guard by his parents years ago, and was the only Queen family employee to survive his sudden purge after their departure. It wasn't at all about his qualifications…it was about the friendship he had built with the man. Diggle was a young guy trying to start over with a new job after seeing the destruction of war. He understood pain, he understood the grieving process, and he understood when to talk and when to just listen. When everything exploded around him, Diggle had been the one source that brought comfort and a hope for the future. He was always there to make sure he was keeping his priorities in order, talk some sense into him, and take care of Meyrin in any way that he could. He also brought Carly into his life. As a young single parent herself…Oliver had learned a lot from the woman.

"Good thinking on your part," Dig said, finally acknowledging him, "was craving a burger."

Oliver let out a childish snort. "Don't doctors usually advise against junk food…that's where you were, right? This morning?" Diggle leaned back against his seat and gave Oliver a meaningful glance. He was saying bring it on…he wasn't ashamed of twisting the truth. "Were you gonna tell me that Lyla was back in town?"

"How'd you find out?"

"Carly told me," he stated matter-of-factly. "Carly? You remember her, right? Medium height, dark hair…used to be married to your brother? Has some pretty obvious feelings for you...ring a bell?"

Diggle just pressed his lips together for a moment, his gaze suddenly going defensive. "Now you know why I didn't mention it. Congrats, Oliver, answered your own question."

Oliver's teeth grinded together in irritation. He was mad at himself for getting involved in this, yet again, and he was mad because he knew it was only as defense mechanism to fend off any conversations steering his way. "You can't keep doing this, Dig."

"Doing what exactly, hmm?" Diggle asked with a large sigh. "I'm not doing anything illegal or immoral. I'm just a guy trying to make a relationship work."

Oliver shook his head. "What you and Lyla have is not a relationship…what you and Carly could have…" he stressed, looking at his best friend and trying to get the guy to really understand. "That's a relationship. That's the foundation for forty years of marriage and maybe owning your own successful burger place."

Diggle just gave him a pointed look before folding his hands on the table. He meant business now. "Excuse me, Oliver…but I don't think you're the best person to give relationship advice." He hissed. "It's not like your past choices, or even your current, are the best examples of what makes a happy ever after."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Oliver countered, suddenly offended.

He didn't exactly have the right to be. He knew exactly what current choices Diggle was talking about and if he was honest with himself, truly-deeply honest, he was more than displeased with how he chose to handle a few things. Of course Dig knew. Dig knew everything whether he was told or not. He had these perfect instincts and this strong moral code. He was the little voice inside your head that you were lucky to have…telling you if something was a good idea or bad. The man sometimes failed in following his own advice, but Oliver knew this was a guy who always strived to move ahead with the best foot forward.

They stared each other down for several moments, but had to break the tension when Edna came back with their orders. She was happy with her life, Edna, quite satisfied with it. A couple of kids, now even grandchildren…everything to her was bunnies and rainbows. She probably had her fair share of heartache, probably had her fair share of troubles, but Oliver refused to taint the life she was living now. So he, Carly, and Dig always put a pause on whatever drama was going on in their lives when it came to enjoying a meal here. Edna and Rob liked seeing their favorite people happy while they were eating; even if that wasn't true once they left the premises.

It was hard not to get pulled into their optimism about life. So, when Edna left them to eat…him and Dig made an unspoken agreement to drop the love-life dramatics for the time being. Oliver hoped that meant not bringing up Sara either. "What're you even doing here?" Oliver suddenly asked, picking up a fry. "Weren't you supposed to be picking up AJ from my place?"

Diggle took a big bite of his burger before answering first with a shrug of his shoulders. "Called the house to let Felicity know I was coming, and she said there was no need…to just go and enjoy my afternoon." He explained with a smile. "Said the kids were enjoying each other's company and she was fine with having them for a while longer…something about making cookies too."Oliver apparently didn't hide his surprise all that much. "I know," Dig said agreeing. "Sounded much more at ease than I've seen her all last week…you got something to do with that?"

Oliver had a system when it came to the nannies. A sorta one week test to see just how long the current nanny was actually going to be sticking around. The whole first week he'd refrain from passing judgments; refrain from dwelling on the things he already didn't like from the thorough background checks he compiled beforehand. He wouldn't listen to Meyrin's jabbers about them, or the comments of any other person they had made contact with. He chose to stay neutral until the first Saturday of their employment rolled around. That's when he usually caught a lunch with Dig and combined his own observations with what Dig had noticed when driving them around.

They were usually on the same page, making the same conclusion, and Dig making a joke about his termination rate. This time it was different though, which proved to be happening a lot with this Felicity Smoak. There was no background to really go on except for the stuff Aunt Becca supplied, and then the stuff Dig had to say caught him totally off guard.

"_You won't have to worry about firing this one, Oliver." _

"_Wow, that confident in her abilities, huh?" _

_Diggle shook his head. "The exact opposite actually…she'll quit herself long before you get the chance." _

That combined with the broken look he had caught upon her face the night before, really stirred something inside of him. He never had a nanny quit on him before. Never even saw that as an option, but with everything Dig observed about her during the week, she was easily breakable it seemed. Oliver didn't know why that hit him so hard, or why he felt the need to talk to Meyrin about behaving better, but he had. He knew his daughter liked to give her nannies a hard time in the beginning, and that was partially his fault for changing them so often that she could hardly get close, but it appeared that Felicity Smoak wasn't one to test the waters around.

From what Dig was saying about Felicity seeming at ease today…his daughter had heeded to his warnings in major capacity.

"She's…different." Oliver found himself saying without really thinking.

Diggle was giving him a curious look. "How so?"

Oliver shrugged. "She just is…not like the other nannies I've hired."

"Well maybe that's because you technically didn't hire this one…change is good. Sometimes it sucks yeah, but other times…it can really bring about the best."

They finished the rest of their lunch in silence and at the end Oliver offered to pay. They made a plan for dinner at his place tonight if he and Carly got done work at a reasonable time. He even civilly offered for Dig to bring Lyla along. All that got him was a 'yeah-right' look before Dig walked out of the diner. Oliver took a deep breath for surviving the lunch with minimal damage, before heading over to the counter to pay. There would be another lengthy conversation with Edna or Rob, but Oliver didn't really care. He could use more optimism to get him through this tiring day.

"Everything good, sweet-pea?"

"Is it ever not?" He complimented as he took out his wallet. He made to grab some cash when he noticed the corner of a small picture peeking out from under his cards. He knew it was there, it was always there, but there was just something about it poking out the way it was—especially today of all days. He pulled it out carefully and felt his heart tug painfully as the memories flooded back to him.

She was beautiful. Blond hair flowing out from beneath her black snow cap, completely bundled up against the snow she was surrounded by. You could hardly tell she was pregnant in this picture – she had such a childlike aura about her. Just standing there with her arms out wide-enjoying the snow the way it should be enjoyed.

"I remember when that picture was taken," Edna reminisced softly. "Right outside here. Took you forever to drag her in…two cups of coco each of you."

"Yeah," he barely managed with a struggled breath.

There was a soft hand on his now and Oliver looked up with appreciation. "World is full of surprises, Mr. Queen…maybe your greatest surprise is a happily ever after…everyone deserves one."

"Thanks, Edna." He squeezed her hand back appreciatively, before sliding the picture back in and getting on with the payment exchange.

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

Dinner with Dig and Carly was a no go. His and Carly's efforts to get things wrapped up on time did not work in their favor. It was well past nine when they finally ventured through the doors of his house again. Felicity needed to leave for her class, so Dig had taken over baby-sitting duties for the remainder of the night. Oliver asked them to stay, suggested ordering a pizza or eating whatever Felicity usually ended up cooking, but they had declined. And after seeing the serious sleep rolling around AJ's eyes, Oliver couldn't hold them back anymore. Meyrin was already asleep too, Diggle already having tucked her into bed. He sat with her for several moments, just watching her sleep and running a hand softly through her hair. He hated when he missed their time before she shut her eyes for the night.

He sat beside her longer than he first anticipated, because by the time he got up to head to bed himself, Felicity was already walking into the house once more. It was a little early for her actually. The unnatural blond didn't usually get in until way past midnight. He watched her climb the stairs, and freeze with a hand on her heart when she noticed him standing still in the corridor.

"God, you scared the crap outta me!" He looked at her in amusement, catching a glimpse of something on her face when she stepped into the light. Something which she probably had yet to notice herself. He must've been making her nervous because she was suddenly fidgeting under his gaze. "W-what? Do I have something on my face?"

"Actually yes," he answered quite easily. "Wow, people rarely ever get to say that." Her hands were suddenly flying to her face, but it wasn't something she was going to feel. "Highlighter." He pointed towards her hands. "All various colors across your cheek, like you've got on your hand there."

"Oh god, really? When I'm in the zone I really don't notice much else." She was suddenly shifting her gaze around until she found a random mirror hung in the hallway. There was about fifty lining the wall of this corridor. "Yup, pink, yellow, blue, and orange…story of my life. Went to a job interview like this once. Fell asleep in the library and made a mad dash to make it in time…figuring that's why I didn't get it. Who would hire a girl for a secretarial position when she makes such a mess with office supplies? It was bad, and I finally know why he was staring at me so oddly throughout the whole thing. That wasn't even the worst interview. One time I…"

She suddenly stopped, having noticed his reflection in the mirror. Her eyes shut in an instant and he cracked a grin when he heard her softly count back from three in her head. It must've been her take on damage control.

"You really like to ramble, don't you?"

He meant it as a slight tease, but her face turned red instantly. "I-I seem to turn off my word filter at the most inappropriate times."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Some people think too much and say too little." She opened and closed her mouth a few times but no words came out. Shaking her head, she decided it was best to just leave. "How'd it go today?" He suddenly called out; going back to their regular tradition from the last week.

"It was-it was good," she said with a satisfactory nod. "Surprisingly good, actually. Not-not saying last week was horrible but…well it kind'a was ,and I know that's not something you should say about your boss' kid, but Rin's a tough cookie, and I know kids don't really like strangers, but wow. I felt like I was her employee not yours, which is totally bizarre because imagine a three-year-old running a billion dollar corporation—that's like one step away from robots running our lives. I mean can you imagine the—"

"—Felicity!" He suddenly interjected. "Or Miss. Smoak…or however you wanna be addressed."

"F-felicity's fine," she squeaked out of embarrassment once more. "Your daughter calls me Lissy, but that's speaks of endearment and I guess that's not exactly appropriate in our situation, not that we have a situation, just this situation in general – and I've really gotta find some duct tape for my mouth."

Oliver couldn't hold in his laughter anymore. This girl was something else entirely. He heard her grumble at herself and tried his best to stop laughing. "So-I'm so sorry…just never met someone like you before." He said, with an amused shake of his head.

Felicity was suddenly staring at him with a some-what blank expression that he hadn't been expecting. There was some emotion there, but not one he could really place. "I can't see why you would, Mr. Queen, the people I've met and the folks you mingle with…not exactly the same circle. This is a palace for a girl like me." He watched her give a small shrug, before grasping the straps of her tote tightly and walking away towards her room.

And for the third time since their initial meeting just a week ago, she left him quite…_speechless?_

In one glance it was obvious she was different; just like he had told Dig earlier today. And as he watched her walk away, some of the reasons why became painfully obvious.

For one, none of the nannies before her would ever dare to dress the way she currently was. They all maneuvered with the same mentality when it came to working and living here. Feeling the need to always be playing a part of sorts; keeping up appearances twenty-four-seven incase he or one of his many associates happened to enter the premise. They must have felt like he was always judging them or if working for him suddenly catapulted them higher into the social stratosphere. He hardly ever saw any of them without makeup or clothes that screamed well worn. It was all perfectly glossed, high heel shoes, and spending their paychecks on designer clothes. He wasn't ignorant to some of their actual intentions for taking this job…often it had more to do with getting close to him and less about actually taking care of his daughter.

Felicity Smoak didn't give a damn about any of that.

Her hair was tossed up in a messy bun; complexion completely natural, except for the highlighter marks of course. There was no designer garment making her look like she was posing for a magazine. She was decked out in a pair of plain black yoga pants topped with a double layer of cotton tanks. He couldn't remember the last girl who had looked this at ease around him—despite what all her babbling said.

A million responses to her last comment were swimming around in his head, but for some reason after taking in her books and glasses, none of them sounded even remotely reasonable, witty, or intelligent enough. So he chose to clamp his mouth shut and just watch her walk away…deciding it was much needed bedtime for him as well.

* * *

Okay things are heating up now! And I know that Sara being the Mom wasn't the most well hidden secret, but I hope you enjoy whatever glimps I give of her. I'm not shying away from how much Oliver was in love with her and how much he still might be...but unlike the show, she's dead...she'd not coming back outta the blue. I loved Diggle and Carly's relationship in the show and hate that it ended the way it did. So here's my AU take on it. More to come on all the characters. Review please and see you soon!


	5. Magic Carpet Ride

_**Magic Carpet Ride**_

She couldn't look away. It was all so breathtaking. Felicity's hand rose to touch the cool glass window as her eyes continued to stare wide-eyed at the expansive city below her. It felt like she was looking through a snow globe; a whole city miniaturized for her own personal enjoyment and display. It wasn't even just the view before her; everything about Queen Consolidated was impressive. She remembered driving through the business district growing up. Looking up at the high-rises and trying to imagine what they looked like from within. She had seen pictures, lots of pictures of this place. It was on her list of dream jobs when she had first gotten into MIT. Anyone living in Starling City wanted to have some piece of this billion dollar corporation. Now that it was something three-dimensional, actually surrounding her, Felicity couldn't help but wonder if she would've somehow ended up here if her life had been different. Not as some nanny delivering the CEO's kid to him, but as a girl with her own cubicle in the IT department, and her MIT diploma hanging on the wall.

"_What's wrong with dreaming, Lissy? What's wrong with wanting the unattainable and just pulling loose?" _

Felicity let out a long breath and stepped away from the window as Addie's earlier words invaded her mind.

"_This highly intelligent brain of yours has always been so realistic. Always calculating, always over thinking. Give it a break, honey. For one day, for one night, even for just a moment…for once just let this lead the way…" _

Felicity's hand came to rest on her heart, and as she felt the beats beneath her fingertips and the warmth of Addie's earlier touch, she couldn't help but think of the promise she had made to her today. The power in Addie's grip, as she took a hold of her hand, had been languid at best, but what Addie lacked in strength, she always made up for in determination. There had been a fire in her eyes that didn't match the fragility of her body, but once Felicity was locked into her gaze, it was as if everything had suddenly gone back to normal. They were no longer sitting in Glades Memorial; in her mind they were back in their small homey apartment, sitting at the kitchen table with her MIT acceptance letter sitting before them. That day the fire in Addie's eyes had been just as fierce, the grip on her hand unyielding. Her grandma was proud, irrevocably so, and nothing was going to stop her from giving her granddaughter everything she had worked so hard for.

She remembered making so many arguments that day; arguments against going and staying right here in Starling. They were all disregarded. None of them given even an ounce of importance. She was going, that was that, and she was going to put her brilliant mind to good work. Addie had help that day. Gramps had refused to take no for an answer just as profoundly. Together the two of them were a forced to be reckoned with and it wasn't long after that scene played out around the kitchen table, that Felicity found herself confirming her attendance. It was the first time, in all her life, that her future had seemed to be moving in a brighter direction.

The conversation today wasn't about her leaving though. It wasn't even about her changing her life. It was all about the life she was living now and making the most of it. Felicity knew Addie felt guilty; accountable for most of the wrong turns her granddaughter was forced to take. Felicity had tried over and over again to steer her away from that train of thought. All the choices she had made…she'd make them all again in a heartbeat if it meant being by Addie's side at a moments notice. She owed her grandparents so much, nothing short of wholehearted support. That included doing everything in her power to make her grandmother happy; making sure a smile reached her lips at least once a day.

"_Just let go, darling. For one moment just let go of all the burdens and what if's…be free, be young…be all the things I know you're capable of. Promise me, Lissy. Promise me."_

"Really takes your breath away, doesn't it?" Felicity's gaze lifted to find the CEO himself walking towards her. The sleeves of his crisp white shirt were bunched up at his elbows and he looked way more at ease than he had when she first arrived. His coat had still been on then, a phone pressed firmly to his ear, and the zone of concentration he was in could've been spotted from a mile away.

"It's like looking outta a plane's window every day. You must love it."

She watched him shrug his shoulders and turn to press his back against the glass; completely nonchalant about being a hundred feet above ground. "The view's definitely something else, but the rest of it…"

"Too much responsibility?"

He grinned and let out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah, that's definitely a downside."

She gave a small smile in return before turning away to look around the large spacious office. It was tastefully decorated with a modern feel, because with a view like that there wasn't much need for anything else. Meyrin was fast asleep on the black couch across from them, her Daddy's blazer keeping her warm from the always apparent air conditioning. She had been out like a light since they had arrived at the office. All day long the two of them had been out running errands and then made a stop at Glades Memorial to visit Addie. It was the first time she had introduced Meyrin, and Addie came to life instantly after meeting the young vibrant girl. Seeing her sit upright and hearing the charisma in her voice make a full comeback, had Felicity going back to her childhood as she sat back to hear Addie's animated voice read aloud from her old fairytale book. It was like taking a breath of fresh air; like entering an entirely different hospital room.

Those were memories that she wanted to take back with her…it was how she wanted to remember the visit, but when Dr. Merlyn had come to take Meyrin for a bit, Addie's voice had completely changed. Felicity anxiously bit her lip as she once again remembered the promise she made. Gramps may have not been there for support, but it didn't mean Addie lacked in any persistence. She was going to get her granddaughter to fulfill this promise if it was the last thing she did. That's what was bothering Felicity the most. Was Addie beginning to think this was the last request she'd be able to make? Was she not hearing everything the doctors were saying about the success of the treatment?

"You okay?"

Felicity shook the thoughts out of her head and turned back around. He was still leaning against the glass with his arms crossed across his broad chest. "Yeah, just get a little lost inside my head every time I visit Addie."

"Meyrin didn't give you too much trouble there, I hope."

Felicity clicked her tongue. "Not in the slightest. Addie's got a soft spot for kids…think Meyrin actually made her whole week."

"Glad to hear it," he said with a smile. "And glad to hear she's doing well."

"Yeah, it's a pretty crazy sense of relief."

She lowered her gaze for a second and when she looked back up, Oliver was looking unswervingly at her. Her very first thought of him hadn't been wrong; he was probably one of the most attractive looking males she had ever met. In most women's eyes he was just as close as they came to the full package; looks, personality, well employed, ready to start a family…Where could a girl possibly go wrong in choosing him.

Her eyes closed instantly, lips pressed firmly together…a countdown starting in her head. This was her boss standing right before her and invading her thoughts. Insisting she call him Oliver was insane enough. She couldn't have her mind running off on insanely inappropriate tangents. So not professional.

A phone started ringing somewhere in the background and she was beyond thankful for his sudden jump into business mode. "Kill me now," he grumbled walking over to his desk. "This should be the last one. Sorry this is taking years." He apologized with a shake of his head. "A half-hour more, tops…I swear."

Felicity wanted desperately to snort at his very noticeable agitation and feeble attempt at a promise. The first time he promised a half-hour was two phone calls ago. Of course all she could do was nod in okay. A first name basis didn't suddenly make this anything more than a boss-employee relationship. Yet, as she watched him break character for a few seconds after the phone was pressed firmly to his ear, she couldn't help but see the regular Oliver Queen. The one she saw on her way out the door every evening, the one she was steadily increasing conversation with, and the one that found her rambling without a filter amusing for some reason.

Today was Friday and Oliver had insisted Meyrin be brought straight here so they could get their weekend started early. He had even let Carly have a half-day, thinking he'd be fine without her for a short while after she left. His oversea correspondents didn't have the same idea though. With John driving Carly home, she had been stuck in the office while Oliver finished off his 'short while'. The calls just kept coming and coming.

Taking a seat on the couch beside Meyrin's feet, she made herself busy on her tablet but shot her head up in surprise suddenly. A thick fluently –Russian accent was easily flowing out of Oliver's mouth. His elbows were resting on the desk, one hand massaging his temple as he spoke in a rough voice. This man was just full of surprises. The phone call seemed to end abruptly, but maybe it only seemed that way because she phased out all sense of time and space temporarily. Before she knew it, he was standing up from his chair and stretching his arms above his head. He caught her staring – mouth hanging slightly open. Awkward. Majorly Awkward.

She pulled her gaze away and tried to ignore the heat radiating off her face from the slight smirk stretching across his face at the last minute. "Lost inside your head again, Miss. Smoak?"

"W-what? No, I just…you speak Russian?" She spat out suddenly.

"Uh-is that a question or just astonishment?"

"Both…?" she offered a little nervously. "I guess it's just odd; random language to be fluent in."

He laughed at that and knowingly nodded his head as he walked back over to her. "The guy who's in charge of our Moscow subsidiaries, is an old friend of the family." He replied with a pleasant smile. "He's always coming into town to visit. Very colorful man, likes to crack a lot of jokes, and have a laugh. Used to take him out to the bars, get him drunk, and convince him to teach me how to pick up girls in Russian…then just kind'a went beyond that."

Felicity wasn't sure what her reaction was supposed to be to that little anecdote. "Cool…"

Oliver laughed a hearty laugh. "Well, I definitely thought I was, I'll give you that." He bent down to carefully pick up Meyrin and jerked his head in the direction of his desk. "Keys are tossed in the upper right hand drawer, can'ya grab them?"

Felicity nodded, head still slightly stuck in the story. Oliver Queen's life was exactly the opposite of hers in every angle; there was no doubt about that. She found the drawer and stuck her hands in to get the keys when a small picture caught her eye. It was wrong what she did, and was probably crossing several boundaries, but she couldn't stop herself from lifting the picture out of the drawer. It was like she was looking at little Meyrin all grown up. There was only one person this could be.

She felt a pair of eyes on her and knew once she looked up she'd find Oliver staring straightforwardly at her. The unknown emotion that gaze would hold made her nervous, so she didn't bother finding out. Dropping the picture quickly into the drawer, she made a grab for the keys she had come for, and walked right past him to the door. Felicity didn't wait to see if he was behind her as she pressed the summoning button for the elevator, she didn't need to. For some reason she could feel his presence once he was standing right beside her.

"Sara." He suddenly spoke as the elevator door opened before them. Felicity looked up a little startled. There was no indication that he was mad about her rifling through his desk, even though in her defense the picture was right there on top. There wasn't much of an emotion at all. "The girl in the picture having a blast in the snow…she's Sara. Meyrin's mom."

Then he was stepping into the elevator and she was stepping in after him. They didn't exchange any words all the way to the car.

Meyrin was buckled in safely and Oliver opened the passenger side door for her before she even had the chance to think about where she was going to sit. She suddenly felt rather uncomfortable as if she did something terribly wrong or came about a giant secret. It wasn't though. Obviously Meyrin had a mother and obviously she wasn't around anymore. It was just the simple logical correlation of events leading to the single father she was sat beside now.

Felicity let out a breath and tried to relax against the expensive leather anterior of the luxury car she had just slid into. It had almost been a month since she had come on board and she didn't know if it was weird or not that she hadn't given Meyrin's mom a thought before this. It took some time, but her and Meyrin were finally in a good place and things were starting to run smoothly. All Meyrin really needed to start behaving well was a little bit of attention and being made to feel like she was being included. So everything Felicity did during the day, she made sure Meyrin had a chance to help. She'd let the girl sit on the island and hand her ingredients when she cooked, she'd let her bring out crayons and her coloring book when she wanted to get some extra study time in, and they would sit and talk for the fun of it. There was a nice set schedule that she didn't want to waver from.

Today she did, and look what happened.

"It's Friday." Felicity chanced a peek up and found Oliver looking steadily at the road ahead.

"Yeah, it comes after Thursday which was yesterday and before Saturday which is tomorrow…" A groan escaped her lips as her face fell into her palms. Oliver started laughing.

"Was that supposed to be a joke or… some kind of a smart response?"

"No idea," she grumbled. "Take it whichever way you want."

"Well I can't take it as a joke because _that_ was nowhere near one."

Felicity rolled her eyes and crossed her arms offended. "Fine…What did the laptop do when it went to the beach?" Oliver was slightly taken back by her sudden openness. She was a feisty one and well…she was fun. Fun to mess with, fun to have a light conversation with. There hadn't been many and most of them were awkward, but there wasn't anything that she had said since she'd started working that hadn't stuck with him. She worked without a filter, as she always so helplessly pointed out, and her comments always left him thinking how refreshing it was to have someone actually say what was on their mind.

"What?" he asked a little hesitantly.

"It put on some screensaver and surfed the net!" Her chiming laugh was suddenly taking over the car and Oliver couldn't help but laugh along with her. The joke was lame. So ridiculously unfunny but her laughter was like a perfect weathered day. They didn't come by too often, but when one did you took in every second of it you could. "That was good." She declared smugly. "Admit it, that was good."

They were stopped at a red light and when she turned to face him in challenge, he had a feeling she wasn't expecting him to be looking directly at her. Heck, he hadn't expected for her laugh to draw him in the way it did. He already knew she was different; he had come to terms with that shortly after she walked into his life as Meyrin's nanny. Yet, her being different nanny wise wasn't all it was. There was just something about this Felicity Smoak that got the wheels turning crazily in his head. She was just a whole different type of person period. Felicity Smoak looked at the world in a whole different way. He didn't know how he knew that, he barely knew a thing about her, but the way she talked, the way she saw things…it was—he didn't know what it was.

A honk of a car surprised him. He was suddenly jolted into reality and automatically pressed his foot against the gas to get going once more. From the corner of his eye he could see that she had turned away too; her elbow resting on the window and her gaze looking at the nightlife of the city coming alive.

There was a light whimper suddenly coming from the backseat also, and he looked up at rearview mirror to see his daughter rubbing sleep from her eye. "Well, well, well sleeping beauty…look who's finally awake."

"Daddy." She said, her excitement still laced with sleep. "Hi Daddy. Where is we going?"

"Don't know, princess, but we don't wanna go home, right? That's not fun."

"Not fun at all," she echoed in a cute dramatic way. "We gets ice cream? Lissy, you wants ice cream?"

Oliver tittered before Felicity had the chance to respond. "Hold it there you little rascal, I'm sure Lissy wants a decent dinner first, right?"

The question was directed at her but his eyes were still focused on the road. She was thankful for that because she wasn't sure what expression covered her face after hearing the nickname fall from his lips. "Uh, dinner sounds great…but it's okay if you need to drop me off at home first."

His face scrunched up in confusion. "Why would I do that?" She didn't have a response. Just sitting in this car and conversing with him so casually was making her crazy. "When's the last time you had some real fun, Miss. Smoak?"

Felicity didn't know exactly in what tone he meant to imply that question, but it felt like a large chunk of ice suddenly dropped into her stomach. Her thoughts swam back to Addie and the promise she had made after their out-of-the-blue conversation. Addie had wanted her to let loose and just have fun for a night. Her grandparents knew the type of person she was from the beginning. They never questioned why she didn't bring any friends home or why she never went out, they didn't have to. They knew why she was choosing to grow up the way she did. All the kids around her…no one ever bothered asking her. She was just the girl with her nose stuck in a book; the girl that spoke when being spoken to or not at all. She had always been fine the way she was, she was fine with being her extremely awkward self, but there was just something about _him_ asking that struck her the wrong way. Just because it was someone actually calling her out on it.

"There hasn't been a lot of room for that in my life, I guess."

"Well," Olive replied, his tone suddenly a little softer after he processed her response. "Like I said, it's Friday and we're all free. Right, Rinny?" His eyes went up to his rearview mirror again. "Or do you have some important play date you need to make?" He teased.

Meyrin giggled. "I is free, Daddy." She sang happily. "We have fun-fun-fun tonight."

"I agree," he proclaimed. "So for tonight none of us are gonna be our boring old selves. We're gonna just let loose and actually enjoy some of life's great gifts." His smile was genuinely excited as he looked at her; matching his daughter's exactly. "Tonight, this car is you magic carpet ride, Felicity Smoak."

Felicity had absolutely no response to what was going on around her.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

There was the small Italian café that served an amazing ziti for dinner. There was the eight-thirty showing of the latest Disney movie that had the three of them in stitches. Then finally there was the ice cream store with the giant _Wally's Whimsical Ice Cream Extravaganza Sundae_ on the menu. After seeing how carefree Mr. Oliver Queen could actually be, Felicity wasn't surprised when the waiter brought it to their table. Meyrin eyes widened in shock, eagerness, wow, and hunger all at once. It only took a second after she was handed a spoon for her to dive right in. Felicity couldn't help the laugh that escaped on behalf of the sudden mess that was a three-year-old. Ice cream was dripping down her chin, elbows, and clothes within a few bites.

"Good thing she had a long nap…because she'll be up all night after this." Oliver chuckled before taking a big bite.

"Or, she'll just crash from the extreme sugar rush." Felicity challenged. "I've seen her go down that way."

"God, I'm a horrible parent…"

"Only if I'm a horrible, nanny." Felicity offered offhandedly.

"You're actually pretty darn amazing with her…pretty darn amazing at it in general."

"I don't know about that," she said evasively, twirling her spoon around in the sundae. "It's not like I'm some child whisperer or even qualified for this sorta thing."

"Doesn't really matter, in all honesty," Oliver responded. "All I ever wanted was someone who'd make her happy and make sure she's alright during the day." He looked back over at Meyrin before shooting Felicity a brief glance. "Hey, Rinny…is Lissy a good nanny?"

Felicity felt herself blush and kept her eyes focused entirely on the little Queen. There was a large smile spreading across her multi-flavor stained face. "You's the bestest, Lissy! Daddy we do wazions together! They've gots lots of numbers and Lissy says me very smart!"

His brow arched in question at her and Felicity couldn't help her ever growing blush. "She means equations, I think."

"You turning my daughter into a nerd, Miss. Smoak?"

"Is that judgment in your voice, I detect?" She was leaning back just looking at him expectantly and he couldn't help but think how intelligent she looked.

"No, more like pride." He grinned. "I'd love for my daughter to be a genius…never been too good at math myself. Think I gotta D in Algebra." It was funny, she actually winced at that and it only made his grin grow wider. "Is that like a personal nightmare to you or something? God forbid someone gets below an A." He feigned dramatically.

"I make no excuses for my academic brilliance, Mr. Queen." She gave him a pointed look over her dark-rimmed glasses before sticking her spoon right into the center of the slowly melting sundae.

"You're something else," he breathed shaking his head.

"I think we've established that already," she blushed once again. "I haven't made the best of impressions, I know."

"No," Oliver quickly backtracked. "I honestly didn't mean it as an insult, I just…" he trailed off for a minute as his gaze fell upon his ice cream. "Look," he said, releasing a short breath. "I don't know a thing about you. No background story, not really anything besides the stuff I've noticed in the last few weeks…and you don't know anything about me." She was looking at him curiously and he couldn't blame her. Even he didn't really know where he was going with all this. "It's just nice to have someone who's not only doing this for some shallow reason."

Felicity gave a small smile. "You really do have bad luck with nannies, don't you?"

"None of them were like you," he claimed easily. "After just a few weeks I never thought to invite any of them out for a night of fun. Didn't think of it as anything but a professional contract."

Her gaze was suddenly wavering and he had a feeling he was making her uncomfortable. He hated that he did that because it wasn't his intention. All he wanted to do was give credit where credit was due. For a while she didn't say anything and he took that as a sign to drop the conversation. Meyrin seemed to finally have enough, so he preceded help her wipe away the ice cream from her face with a wet napkin. The actual clean-up was going to require a trip to the rest room; she was the definition of sticky.

"I-I've got it." Felicity was already sliding out of the booth before he had the chance to argue. "C'mon, Rin…let's get you sticky free."

"We comes back tomorrow for more, Daddy?" Her eyes were bright with eagerness.

"Let's see if today's mess comes off first before we think about adding more. Go on." He helped her out of the booth and watched them walk away before signaling for the bill.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

It wasn't until they were well on the road again that Felicity turned to face him slightly. She opened up her mouth a few times but words never spilled out. His insides clenched uncomfortably as he caught a flash of uneasiness cross her eyes. He really was an idiot and didn't know why he couldn't leave well enough alone. They were doing well and he couldn't remember the last time he had a fun night out like this. Totally carefree and just allowed to be himself without any reservations about what people thought of him. It was a damn good feeling. Of course he had to go and ruin it by opening up his mouth and spouting out total gibberish. She wasn't like any of the girls he had ever come across and it kind'a freaked him out how quickly she started making him think. All she was supposed to be was a nanny for Meyrin…he wasn't supposed to be thinking anything of her at all.

"Look, Felicity, I…"

"What did you mean by 'When's the last time I had some fun'? Is my sheltered life really that obvious?"

He wasn't expecting that. "N-no," he said a little guiltily. "Has your life been sheltered?"

She leaned back against the seat and he saw her shoulders sag a bit. "I made a promise to my grandma that I'd let loose. Even if it was just for one night…not be so me, for a change." She grumbled. "I thought I had it in the bag tonight, but looky here…I've gone and made it into something serious. I'm a bit of a downer, if you haven't noticed."

He bit his lip and stopped the car suddenly once they turned onto the driveway. "I'm sorry." He said with a giant huff. "I've really overstepped tonight."

"As always the awkwardness started with me…I'm the one who pulled the picture out of your desk."

"You've never asked about her," he started off slowly. "Most nannies are quite quick in wanting all the details."

"Really?"

She sounded generally surprised and that caused him to chuckle. "Yeah, really. I don't give them the details but there always looking. Trying to find some form of gossip or connection."

"Connection…?" she questioned.

"You know, find out what she's like and see if they're anything like her." He shrugged. "You took this job for a pretty great reason. All the other's just wanted a chance to say they've hooked up with Oliver Queen…somehow wiggled their way into my social circle."

"Darn," she giggled softly. "Master plan is all ruined, thanks a lot." He was happy to see the mood was lightning around them. "I can tell you this. I'm not good at taking compliments and I'm not very optimistic about life. All I want is for Addie to be okay and just try to not fail outta my classes. There's not much else to it." She admitted looking down at her hands. "I never meant to invade your personal life and I don't plan on to. I'm here to take care of your daughter and I'll keep doing that with the utmost professionalism."

Oliver swept a hand through his hair and took a deep breath before looking at her. "Like I said before, we're strangers, complete strangers…but, please don't take this the wrong way and correct me if I'm wrong…It just seems like you could use a person to talk to. Someone to tell about your day and maybe lighten the burden on your shoulders. I don't mind being that person." He admitted softly. "Don't have many friends in my life despite what you've might've heard…looks like you're capable of being a good one."

She was speechless. This isn't at all what she expected when she agreed to this job offer. For her, all that mattered was becoming financially stable for Addie's sake. There was nothing in the cards about her boss extending out a hand of friendship. "I don't have many of those either."

He didn't say anything else. Oliver just gave her a soft smile and nod before starting up the car again. That final response wasn't something her head told her to say…she didn't allow herself to think. All she did was somewhat fulfill her promise to Addie and think with her heart. This night really had been like some magic carpet ride. For several moments in between she forgot who she was and had just enjoyed her surroundings, a fun night like she had never experienced before. Maybe Addie was right. Maybe it was okay to actually let loose for a while and just live, be young, and just breathe. It was going to take a long while for her to be as carefree and optimistic as Addie was even in the toughest of times, but for the first time in a long time, it didn't seem all that farfetched.

* * *

Sorry for the delay. Busy Busy Busy...buts here's chapter 5 and some much needed Olicity! We're moving along but trust me its not all gonna be bunnies and rainbows. Drama gonna blow up sooooooon! Please Review means the world

All characters and subjects belong to rightful owners


	6. Tinker Bell's Fiery Persona

_**Tinker Bell's Fiery Persona**_

Felicity couldn't help the way her mouth fell open at the large piece of artwork that was now hanging over Meyrin's toddler bed. It was breathtakingly beautiful; a vibrantly painted scene of an enchanted forest. There were vividly colored plants, fairies with shimmering wings, cute magical animals, and a majestic castle looking over it all. The attention to detail was astonishing and as Oliver hopped off the small bed, after nailing the frame into place, Felicity couldn't help but be awestruck by the artistic element it brought to the room. A quick look from the corner of her eye let her know that her sentiments mirrored Meyrin's exactly. The little girl could hardly hold in her excitement as she clambered onto her bed to get a closer look.

"And…I've just solidified my place as world's greatest Aunt."

Felicity tore her eyes away from the art piece to look at the artist. Thea Queen had returned home after months of being away and the joy the young woman's return brought wasn't lost on her. It had been a complete and utter surprise late last night when she bombarded into the living room where her, Oliver, and Meyrin were just lounging around. A Disney movie was keeping Meyrin occupied as she finished her continuous revision for finals and Oliver caught up on some paperwork.

The smile that had crossed across Oliver's face after the initial shock wore off was unlike any Felicity had ever seen before. His paperwork had gone flying to the floor as he leapt off the couch to wrap his returning sister in a tight loving embrace. From that moment on it was as if he had swallowed a handful of happy pills that refused to let him down from hovering on cloud nine. The whole of the mansion seemed a little bit brighter with Thea's jubilant personality shedding light on the walls.

"That is on a whole other level of impressive." Felicity gushed as Thea smirked proudly on.

"I know," she squealed in delight. "Took me weeks, but totally worth it to see this too-cute-for-words smile." She plopped onto the bed beside her niece and proceeded to attack the girl with tickle inducing fingers. Meyrin's uncontrollable giggles filled up the room.

Felicity's eyes glanced over at Oliver who was looking from the painting to his sister with a mix of pride and disbelief. Seeing her home was one thing, but seeing her bring home something like that was an entirely different matter. "You never told me she was so talented." Felicity remarked as she went to stand beside him. "It's gorgeous."

"I would've bragged about it to no end if I had even an inkling of an idea," Oliver responded with a shake of his head. "I thought she'd lost her mind when she first told me she was gonna be an art major."

"Well, it seems like a pretty decent fit if you ask me." She gave him a little nudge with her shoulder before looking over at two young girls again. "Must be thrilled to have her home? I've only seen Meyrin this excited when ice cream's been involved."

"Yeah…she sure knows how to liven up the place." He shook his head at the painting once more before gesturing her to follow him out of the room. Thea and Meyrin were completely consumed in each other for right now.

Felicity followed him into the kitchen, and as Oliver began to put away his tools under the sink, she checked on the lasagna she had popped into the oven a little earlier. Thea was coming home from months of eating fresh French Cuisine, so Felicity wasn't expecting a frozen ready lasagna to win her any real points. She was a pretty decent cook, but in the midst of grueling finals week she was lucky if she remembered to feed herself, let alone the little girl she was responsible for taking care of. "Why France?" She asked in an effort to make conversation as Oliver stood from the floor. "I mean, I know if I had the means, school abroad would be just amazing."

There was a slightly guarded and hesitant look in his eye from the question, but he shrugged his shoulders as if Thea going to school halfway across the world was no big deal. "Well she had the means, I guess…just wanted a change in scenery."

Something told Felicity that his reason was utter crap, but she let it go. They had become pretty steady friends since that out of the blue outing a few weeks back, but it was still new territory for her. For right now friends for them meant someone he could vent his frustrations about a client out to, without it being taken the wrong way, or her having an outlet for her stress about Addie. They made small talk over lunch when he came home, sat with Meyrin to watch a movie, and occasionally had a grownup discussion when Carly and Dig were able to join them for dinner. It was a nice comfort to have and she wasn't about to ruin it for herself by pushing matters she had no business making her own.

"That smells amazing." Thea called out as her and Meyrin made their way into the kitchen. "Lasagna?"

"Yup. Straight from the frozen aisle."

Thea chuckled. "It's okay. Need to reacquaint myself with the American ways of life. Frozen food is a staple, right?"

"Especially when you're a student, who could care a damn about what goes into your body."

"Oh right, you're still in college." Thea reminded herself out loud as she plopped Meyrin onto an island stool and took another for herself. "What you studying?"

"Software engineering and program development…taking it slow. A few night classes a semester is all I can manage right about now." Felicity informed as she pulled out a box of cookies from the pantry. "How'd you decide on art? Your brother tells me he had no idea you were so talented." When she turned back around she could swear Thea and Oliver were having a silent conversation between them. Their stares were significant and once again she felt like she was stepping in on something that was none of her business. "Uh-sorry," she apologized quickly. "Just making conversation, I guess."

"Huh," Thea said, snapping her attention back to her. "What? No, no reason to apologize. I just…don't really know. Came out of nowhere I guess, the love for art, I mean…and when you see something like the Louvre, it's not exactly hard to fall in love."

Oliver stepped over to them and cleared his throat in an attempt to pass the awkwardness. Something was seriously going on here. "You know what you wanna do yet, Thea?"

Thea looked up at her brother; an excited smile returning to her face. "Yeah, I umm…I think I'm gonna go for architecture." She answered happily. "Who knows, maybe one day I'll even design a whole new building for QC."

"Wow…that's a lot of hard work, isn't it?"

Thea smirked. "Already told ya, Ollie…your sister is becoming pretty great at being an A plus student. "

Oliver just rolled his eyes before they suddenly narrowed onto his daughter in an instant. "Only one, Meyrin." He warned just as her hands were about to reach into the box for another cookie. She shot the hand quickly back into her lap."You're gonna spoil your dinner."

"Its scary how good you're getting at this parenting thing, Bro."

"Had to pick up the slack sometime," he winked. He lifted Meyrin off the seat and settled down himself before placing her back onto his lap. "You excited to have Aunt Thea back, Rinny?"

"Yes, daddy! We is going to paint together every day," she replied enthusiastically. "She brings lots of colors with her. So many more than I haves."

"That sounds fun." Oliver kissed the top of her head lovingly before facing Thea. "Well, as much as I hate that you didn't tell me you were coming home, it's nice to have you here so early, convenient too. With her finals currently going on, you'd be helping Felicity out a lot by looking after Rinny during the day." His gaze switched over to Felicity who was looking a little surprised by his remark. "What?" he asked with a light chuckle. "I've seen how stressed you been this week and I don't know when you actually sleep."

"I've-I've been managing just fine." She protested. "Why? Have I been slacking on my duties?"

"What? No," Oliver responded. "Actually the opposite, don't want you slacking on your studies…I know how important they are to you, is all." He shrugged.

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks and it apparently wasn't missed by Thea who was looking between her brother and the nanny with a cheeky smile on her face. "There something going on between you two?"

"What?"

"Thea!"

Thea laughed. "Sorry," she barely managed to get out. "I've just never seen my brother show so much concern for any other nanny before." The kitchen went awkwardly silent for a few minutes until the ding of the oven saved them all. Their lunch was done and Oliver hurriedly made himself busy by grabbing some dishes to set onto the island so they could all eat together. He wasn't lost to the fact that his sister was watching every interaction he made with Felicity while doing so. She was right in a way. He had never been so concerned about any other nanny's off duty activities, but of course he had never offered to be friends with any of Meyrin's nannies before either. He liked her company, Felicity's, and she was one of the easiest people to talk to he had come across in a long time. It was different, it was new, but it was more than welcomed in the crazy life he had. Normalcy. She really brought a sense of normalcy around him.

Thea was more than adamant about taking care of the cleanup when they had finished eating around an hour later. Meyrin was all sorts of messy, and needed a bath right away to get her sauce ridden. Felicity went to take care of that, and the two siblings found themselves alone for the first time since she had gotten back late last night. They had a lot to talk about, some things that Thea wasn't too keen on, but Oliver wasn't going to let anything slide. His big brother mode could kick in at a moment's notice.

"Walter good?" Oliver asked as he watched Thea scrub down the island.

"Yeah, though I'm kinda shocked he was able to keep my secret," she replied, poking fun at her Godfather. "Was afraid my surprise would fall through before I even got over the Atlantic."

"No, he was silent as a mouse." Oliver assured as a proud smile stretched across his lips. "So…with you set on being an architect, I'm guessing the semester finished on a high?"

She nodded her head and threw the napkin into the trash bin. "Grades won't be up for a few weeks but I think it's safe to say, I'm pretty confident." Oliver was back to shaking his head in disbelief. "What?"

"Architect," he said breathlessly. "Guess I never saw it coming. All of it actually…seeing you this passionate about school, art even, it's pretty sweet. High praises, Miss Queen."

"Thanks," she replied with a heavy sigh as she took to her previous stool again. Oliver sat across from her and watched her fiddle with the bracelet around her wrist for a bit. He knew this particular item of jewelry well because he had never seen her without it. It was a gift from their parents for when she turned ten. Holidays, birthdays, just because…they were always finding occasions to give her another charm to add on. He had offered to take up the tradition after their passing, but she had declined. He guessed it just wasn't the same coming from him. "Mom and Dad would've had a heart attack if they saw my grades now…they were always so on my back about slacking in school."

"Both of ours actually."

"Yeah, and how responsible you are with the company and Rinny…they never had that much faith in us to step up the way we did." She let out a giant breath as she looked directly at her brother. "Guess something good came out of therapy, huh? All those sessions I made it through by doodling…amounted to something after all. Found a passion buried deep inside. Making something outta nothing, something useful."

"I always had faith you." Oliver stated, poking her cheek playfully. "Knew that fiery little personality of yours would get you somewhere some day." She swatted his hand away and he ruffled her hair just to annoy her before sitting back in his seat. "You gonna be okay being home?" he asked, his tone suddenly getting concerned and serious. "It's been a while."

"I'm gonna be fine, Ollie." She sighed. "Quit worrying so much."

"Worrying comes with the job description, kiddo." He pressed lovingly. "I'm not even against you going back to therapy if it'll help. Don't like it that your nightmares are back."

"You said yours were too," she argued. "I don't see you signing yourself up for therapy."

Oliver shook his head. "At least I'm sleeping through the night," he fought back. "You said it took you weeks to do that painting, Thea. How many of those were night hours?" She didn't say anything as her lips pressed firmly shut into a thin line. "Exactly." His hands reached over to take a hold of hers, giving them a loving squeeze like he hadn't been able to do in ages. It was so nice to talk to her without a computer screen or ocean between them. "It's okay to ask for help…you taught me that."

"I know." He watched her take her lip between her teeth, her body language suddenly becoming nervous. "Look, there's something I gotta tell you and I don't know how you're gonna take it." Oliver pulled himself back as her fingers twisted amongst themselves. "T-Tommy came to see me a little while ago."

The name was like an ice cube down his back and from the way she was keeping her gaze away, he knew telling him this wasn't easy for her. This was beyond a complicated situation. "Just-just outta the blue he decides to hop on a plane?"

"It wasn't like I wasn't totally caught off guard either, Ollie." Thea claimed. "I never thought in a million years he'd make the first move and come out all that way to see me in person, but he did." Her hands shot up to cradle her head as she struggled with her emotions. "Seeing him, hearing his voice…it just made everything flood back in like a giant tsunami. He-he wanted it to be a pleasant experience. Take me out to lunch…just talk, but I could barely say a word without exploding. There are reasons why I should and shouldn't be made at him, but I'm having a hard time separating them. Everything just seems all jumbled up. Then there's you…"

"Forget about me, Thea." Oliver spoke softly. "You gotta take me and my feelings out of your calculations."

"How do exactly expect me to do that, Ollie?" She cried. "You're my brother and he-he's…" She still couldn't say it. After all this time of knowing the truth, she still couldn't say it aloud. All her life she lived in this perfect bubble of sorts; consumed in only herself and her vibrant social life. Then everything exploded in one fail swoop. "He didn't handle it right, Ollie. He didn't handle any of it right. The truth, everything that happened after…things with you, things with me. I know there was no easy way to take it, but…he could've handled it better. Could've handled it with us…"

Oliver wasn't prepared for the tears that were suddenly cascading down her face. Everything from this moment however, did reassure him that giving her the opportunity to get away was for the best. Here the memories were just so vivid and the emotions hard to break away from. Yet, it had all followed her across the ocean as well, so maybe there really was no escape.

"Things between me and Tommy were already shaky, even before it all…"

"Because of me."

"No, not because of you." He shot down quickly. "Because of the truths he kept hidden, the support he didn't give…it was a bunch of stuff, but you were never the reason and will never be." Oliver let out a long breath and took her hands again. "The thing is, Thea…he's always cared for you like you were his sister, always…and of course that's not gonna stop now that you actually are. I can't fault him for that."

"So I should just make peace with him…while you guys are still on the outs?"

"I want you to leave me and Tommy out of it…and just concentrate on your relationship with him. That's it."

He didn't know if it was the best advice he could give, but right now it's all he had.

_**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**_

"Uhhhhhh green!"

Felicity arched her brow in Meyrin's direction as she heard her answer. She was currently sitting on the couch with her notes strewn across her lap as Meyrin was sprawled across the floor with Thea. They had their heads cowering over the same coloring book, a large box of crayons beside them. "Since when is a sky green, Rin?"

Meyrin looked up with a cheeky smile that she seemed to inherit completely from her aunt. "The magical spell mades it green, silly. Magic does lots of things, Lissy." Of course, she had an answer for everything.

"My bad," Felicity chuckled. "Carry on with your green sky." She turned back towards her notes but kept one ear perked in Meyrin's direction. Her comments were often completely absurd and induced by child logic and wonderment, but she would be lying if she said it didn't melt her heart or cause her to see a brighter side to the world. This young girl was gaining a tighter hold on her day after day.

"That's Lissy." Meyrin was suddenly introducing as if her Aunt had just seen her nanny for the first time. "She's the bestest nanny in the whole world. We do lots of things together and she's very tellegent."

Felicity couldn't help the warmth that spread through her. "Don't you mean intelligent?" Thea teased, wiggling her nose.

Meyrin looked back at her confused. "Thats what I said, tellegent…Daddy calls her that all the time."

Felicity dropped her calculator to the floor and Thea erupted in laughter. "Does he now?" She asked, coyly looking up at the flabbergasted nanny. "What else does he say about her?"

Meyrin was about to open her mouth, but a loud argument filtering in from the foyer suddenly caught all their attention. Oliver had left shortly after lunch after receiving a call from Carly. He had been rather reluctant to leave and Felicity had a pretty good idea why. She had walked back into the kitchen after cleaning up Meyrin to find the siblings in a tense conversation. Thea couldn't do much to hide her face either, which was covered in tear stains and red puffy eyes. It was such a stark contrast to what things were like before lunch. She refused to get involved though, especially after Thea was trying her hardest to make it look like nothing was wrong. After Oliver left, the three remaining girls had ventured into the living room to just do their own thing.

Oliver was the first to enter, face twisted in anger, as a sheepish Carly fallowed in his wake. "Will you please just listen," she begged of her boss.

"NO!" He shouted loudly, turning to face her head on. "How could you even think I'd agree to something like this, Carly?"

"Because it's for a good cause…and you can't deny the appeal. The money will flood in by the bucket loads." She exclaimed. "C'mon, Oliver…think about it with an open heart." He was fuming. Felicity swore she could see the steam seeping out of his ears. Carly looked around the room for help but the three girls were just giving her baffled looks. The sudden outburst had caught them off guard. Sighing, Carly turned Oliver so he was facing Felicity. "Be honest, Felicity. If dinner with this man was an auction item…would you not pay a crap load of money to win him for a night? For charity, of course?"

Felicity opened her mouth but no words came out. How the hell was she supposed to answer that and not make it sound totally awkward?

"You're gonna auction him off to a bunch of horny society women?"

"Thank you!" Oliver called out, throwing his arms in his sister's direction. "Finally a tone that fits the ridiculousness of this idea!"

"Actually, I think it's a winning idea," she laughed. "Funny, because all those women won't care a shit about the charity…they'll just wanna score a night with you."

"Language!"

"Sorry."

Oliver rounded on Carly, his face screaming authority. "Make this go away, Carly Diggle or I swear I'll—"

"—What? Fire me?" Of course Carly wasn't one to take any of his bullshit. "For one, you won't, and for a second...no! We've been going crazy looking for a gimmick for the _Starling City Children's Charity_, and this by far is the best one we've gotten. Considering I'm saying this about an idea that spilled from Isabel Rochev's mouth, that's saying something! It's a done deal, Queen. Suck it up!" She looked over Oliver's shoulder that was holding up his wide-eyed face to look over at Thea. "Hey, darling…welcome home, you look beautiful as always."

Thea and Felicity broke out into laughter simultaneously. The emotions in this room were just twisting amongst themselves. Carly grinned as she knew she won over the crowd at least…Oliver she could deal with as the time of the event drew closer. "You can't be serious right now?" He grumbled before looking over at Felicity. "Help a guy out?"

"I'd rather help the charity out, actually…sorry."

"Ollie, calm down…what's a dinner gonna do?"

"You said so yourself, Thea," he complained. "Those women won't give a damn about the cause and I'm not foolish enough to think their minds are innocent enough to stop at just a dinner."

"Cringe worthy."

"My point exactly!" He snapped. "Was this really Isabel's idea?"

Carly nodded; her eyes giving Oliver a not so subtle glare. "She's getting auctioned off too. I guess some men prefer the cold-bitchy type."

Oliver's jaw clenched tight and his shoulders grew rigid as he stared his assistant down. He knew Dig knew so he didn't know why he was so surprised that Carly had information as well. "Not here, Carly…and that's none of your business."

"Of course it isn't," she spat before turning on her stilettos. "I'm just a mere assistant…no room to be a friend that gives some much needed advice. I'm just supposed to stand aside as you ruin your life…my bad, I'll refrain from making unnecessary comments from now on!"

She was storming out of the room without saying a word to anybody else. Oliver groaned. He was going to get an earful from Diggle in the morning. Shaking his head at the disappointed turn the day had taken, he turned to fall back on the couch with a giant huff. Felicity, who sitting there still a little stunned, just continued to stare at him as if she didn't know who exactly she was looking at. "Daddy?" Meyrin whimpered as she walked towards him. "Whys you yelling at Aunt Carly? Was she bad?"

He mentally smacked himself repeatedly as he lifted his daughter up to his lap. "No, princess…Daddy wasn't very nice just then, and he's so-so sorry that you had to see that."

"Grownups just get angry sometimes, Rin. Like you do when I make you pick up your toys when you don't want to." Felicity suddenly interjected, leaving Oliver a little startled. "Your Aunt Carly just asked your Daddy to do something he didn't want to. Something I think he should."

"Oh, buts I always have to listen to you, Lissy because it's the right thing to do." Meyrin giggled. "So yous got to listen to Aunt Carly, daddy if Lissy says you do. Like you say, Lissy very tellegent."

"Wha…I, I…"

"_I_ have at least two more chapters to get through." Felicity confessed as she slammed her book shut. "And you gotta get into your PJs so your daddy can tuck you in, Rin. It's getting to be past your bed time."

She was getting up from the couch and taking a hold of his daughter's hand before he could say anything. What was he supposed to say anyway? He forgot just how careful he had to be about what he said around his daughter at this age. He angled his body so he could see the pair take the stairs. Felicity seemed to be humming a tune while his daughter sang the lyrics to some counting song she had learned. When they disappeared from view, he hesitantly met the gaze of the final woman left in the room. A lot of unsaid things were still floating in the air between them from earlier, but he had a feeling Thea was going to be focusing on an entirely different topic right now. She stood with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed in slight anger and a whole lot of annoyance.

"When I made that joke about you sleeping with the nanny all those weeks ago…a joke is all it was, but what I'm about to ask you about Isabel Rochev…"

"Don't Thea." He warned with a sigh. "I'm not discussing this with you."

"You can't be serious, Ollie!" She desperately cried. "That girl…of all the girls in the states over the age of consent, you choose _her_ to sleep with?!"

"I don't remember confessing that."

"Then you can look me straight in the eye and promise me that you're not?" She was toe to toe with him now, looking more pissed than he had seen her in a while. "Your life is pretty messed up because of our past, Ollie. Why do you wanna mess with your future? With Meyrin's future?"

Oliver snorted. "Don't you think you're making a way too big of a deal outta this?"

He watched her jaw clench, fists tightening at her sides. "You wanna know a secret, Ollie?" She asked rigidly. "After Mom and Dad, I prayed with all my heart that you'd just walk away from it all. The company and all the destruction that came with it. I wanted us to be a normal family. Move out of this dark house, not be so involved in the media and society, and just be us…but you took it up. You took up all the responsibilities that they always wanted you to take, and it was okay…because you were handling it better than Dad or Mom ever did. I was proud of you, Ollie…for the man you became, for the business man you became, and especially for the Dad you became, but if you're…if you and Isabel have anything but a business relationship…I'll lose it all. You'll fall in my eyes, Oliver. I guarantee that."

She was shoving past him, the fourth girl tonight, leaving him at a loss for words, and with no indication of how things got so messed up within a day.

* * *

Fun chap to write...zero time to edit, so sorry for any grammar and typos! Will fix later on! Please review! More of Tommy coming soon too and more of the past will be revealed!

And holy crap 32 reviews for Closure! Thanks a million! More chaps of that coming soon.


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